A Fox's Play
by LookingOutIndigo
Summary: Naofumi had been a kitsune for a few centuries now. Who knew a trip to the library would cause this kitsune to be in another world? Honestly, she doens't mind as long as she finds a way to entertain herself. It looks like this world is full of lying, greed, and envy. This should be fun...
1. Kitsune

There was blood surrounding a young girl's bare feet. There was so much. Why was there so much? The smell was horrible, it consumed her senses. The knife trembled in her hand, as she looked down at what she had done. There was so much blood pooling around her. She was scared. She had lost control in that one moment and was blinded by rage. She never meant for this to happen though.

There was a sharp ringing in her ears. She felt sick like she was going to throw up. This was awful. This was maddening. Why did time seem to stop in that one moment? Was she even breathing? How? How could this have happened?

She didn't mean it. No, no she did mean it.This blood shed was on purpose. That unforgettable feeling of rage that swallowed the young girl whole. Such an emotion was burned into her. Yes, she could never forget it. The small child wanted more.

All she saw was red.

Naofumi's eye's shot open, as she suddenly sprang to life from her deep slumper. Heavy pants left her lips, as she cradled her head in one hand as the other clutched her sheets. Her ears perked to take in the tiniest of sounds. Once she took in her surroundings, she felt her heartbeat calm down. Naofumi immediately fell back into her futon. She moved her sheets to cover her head as she curled her body into a ball.

It was just a dream. A terrible dream that happened a long time a go. There was nothing to worry about. All of that happened centuries a go for the kitsune. It was unlikely to repeat it's self. The past was the past. It already happened, and there's no changing that.

She was safe here.

It was a bright morning at the temple, a lovely spring day in Japan. Unfortunately, a certain fox thought otherwise. It was too bright for a certain fox trying to go back to sleep. Her ears twitched at the sound of those pesky birds chirping too loud for this time in the day. She was already awake, no point in staying in bed for nothing.

Naofumi lifted herself up. She stretched her back, hearing a satisfying crack of her bones. Its been decades since she slept this well after a very fufilling night of eating. Usually, the poor fox was nocturnal and opted to watch over her territory at night. This was one of the rare occasions she woke up during the day.

Naofumi looked around her room. Same tatami flooring that was littered with various human literature called 'light novels' and picture books dubbed 'manga. Yes, this kitsune was an otaku. He found himself deeply invested in the world of anime that humans have created, much to her brother's dismay. It wasn't surprising. Naofumi has always been invested in the world of mortals. She found them so interesting, mostly to mess with. It's not his fault humans were so easy to trick and play his own games with. She found the species entertaining to say the least.

Speaking of which, the fox should return the books she borrowed from the one of the city's library. Yes, humans liked things to be returned to them on time. It was an odd ritual. Humans should know by now that time didn't much but being immortal, Naofumi couldn't say much.

Finally the fox stood up from her futon, deciding it was now that he would start her day. Her multiple tails swirled, sweeping a bit of the floor as he stretched once more. She knew he had duties to perform for the day like listening to prayers, sweeping the floors, and other things but those could wait. The fox really wanted to go to the human city just for a little bit to check out new arrivals of any light novels.

Naofumi began to get dressed for her outing in a white kimono robe and a pair of red hakama pants. It was typically an outfit for shrine maidens, but kitsunes also wore it from time to time. It was comfortable to wear and didn't seem to age in more recent years. It was designed to have all nine tails fit through. She also placed an open white yukata over his outfit, hiding the upper part of her tails. It was considered rude for a kitsune to show the base of their tail to strangers in their human form.

She took herself in through the mirror that stood in the corner of her room. She looked like a standard kitsune. Black fox ears perched ontop of her head and her nine white tails slightly peaking out from under her open yukata. Three red triangled on each of her cheeks that pointed inwards to give the impression of whiskers. As well as a bit of red around her eyes. Naofumi neatly pressed her outfit before considering herself worthy of going out.

Naofumi slid open the sliding shoji door to the hallway. The fox let out a yawn. She should take a nap when she gets home. Naofumi proceeded to find the exit, passing some shrine maidens who respectfully bowed at the sight of the kitsune. They were performing their daily tasks of cleaning the shrine in case Inari decided to visit unannounced like the goddess usually does.

Naofumi was nearly at the exit when a hand slammed against the wall by her face. It didn't shock Naofumi, she was used to this. She turned her face slightly to the offender. It was Rika. A shrine maiden who had been serving much longer than she should have. Despite being human, Rika had sworn her undying loyalty to Inari and was granted immortality. In return, Rika would watch over this shrine until the end of days. She wore her miko outfit with pride. Her dark hair up in a tight bun, and her eyes showing a bit of age. She looked no more than maybe thirty years of age. Actually, Rika was only two centuries older than Naofumi and acted the part of a mother. She constently scolded the kitsunes of this shrine for their actions. In fact, the human was possibly the only one who spoke to any kitsune as equals.

Naofumi let out a sigh, "Good morning, Rika. How are you today?"

Rika stood tall with an air of pride, "Naofumi-sama, where are you going this fine day? Surely, you don't plan on skipping your duties for today?"

The fox let out a nervous laugh, "Maybe..."

"Naofumi-sama, this is the third time this month you've been denying your tasks as a servant of Inari. Perhaps, I need to take away your fried tofu for this week." The older woman pondered. Naofumi felt her tails puff up. The woman was denying Naofumi her favorite food. How could she? Rika should know by now that a kitsune's favorite thing in this world is fried tofu!

"Come on, Rika. I promise I'll do all of my tasks by the end of tomorrow." The fox pleaded.

"And why can't you do them today?" Rika questioned.

"Well, I was planning on going to the city to do some reading..." Naofumi trailed off.

Rika quirked her eyebrow, "By reading, do you mean reading those 'light novels' that you're so fond of?"

Judging by Naofumi's embarrassed expression, Rika was right. Rika rubbed her forehead. Inari doesn't give her enough credit for dealing with her children.

"Fine," Rika muttered out. "You may go, but as soon as you come back you must perform your duties. Am I clear, young lady?"

Naofumi let out a small chuckle, "I'm only two centuries younger than you, Rika. In kitsune time, that's nothing."

Rika let out a slight, barely visible smile, "But in human years, it as at most two or more lifetimes. Now go!" Rika started to push Naofumi towards the exit, "Before I change my mind."

Naofumi laughed, "Okay, okay, I'll be back soon."

"One more thing, Naofumi-sama. Your ears and tails put them away, you know the rules." Rika scolded.

It was a rule that if a kitsune were to go out in a very crowded place to hide their tails and ears. It was a way to not attract attention and prevent bystanders from stepping on one of their many tails.

With a quick snap of her fingers, Naofumi's tails and ears were gone, even the markings on her face. Naofumi gave a small wave to Rika, before heading out.

It wasn't a long walk to the library, but Naofumi liked to take her time. It was part of her job to observe humans in her shared territory, making sure everything was fine. Just to make sure no evil spirit was terrorizing the human population too much. Honestly, she wanted a peaceful day. It's been too long since she could just relax.

When she arrived to the library, she went straight to the light novel section. That was her heaven in the mortal realm. Naofumi never knew why humans wereso fascinated with going to another world, but she wasn't complaining. These stories were so entertaining and immersive, slightly predictable though. What wouldn't be predictable to her? She had lived for about four centuries maybe? Naofumi may have lost count. She was never good with numbers.

Naofumi let her fingers gently brush against each one of the books. The fox scanned ever title to see what would spark some interest. She was humming a gentle tone giddily like a child about to receive candy. Her finger stopped at one book in particular.

"The four cardinal heroes," Naofumi mumbled out the book's title, before plucking it out of the shelf. "I never heard of this before."

Naofumi let opened and flipped over numerous pages. It was just a quick scan over to get a summary of the book she was holding. There are four weapons wielded by four hero; the spear hero, the sword hero, the bow hero, and the shield hero. All the heroes fight against the waves of catastrophe to protect their world from chaos and destruction.

A shield as a weapon? Naofumi tilted her head in confusion. Well, she suppose anything could be a weapon if a human really tried. They were so creative like that. The heroes in the book seemed very noble to risk their lives for the protection of their world.

Naofumi continued to flip through the chapters until she got to the shield hero's chapter. The pages were surprisingly blank in this chapter. How odd.

The pages as a gust of wind came, started to flip wildy and glow and vibrant gold. The fox let the book go in shock. Was this another prank by another kitsune? She could have sworn this decade's prank war was over.

When the glowing book fell to the floor with a thud, it seemed like time itself had stopped. A glowing circle encompassed her surrounding radius, and just like that it felt like she was falling. The light overcame every one of her senses as if trying to drown her. The next thing she felt was a stone floor underneath her.

Naofumi opened her eyes as the bright, golden light diminished. She was laying on the floor in what looked to be a magic circle. She picked herself off from the stone floor. Where exactly was she? Her right arm felt slightly heavy. Naofumi let her gaze wander to it, and strapped to her sleeved arm was a silver shield with what looked to be a smooth emerald green stone lying in the middle.

"Oh, brave heroes! Please save our world!" A male's voice desperately pleaded. Naofumi looked up at a group of humans, all wearing similar dark colored robes. Naofumi pondered for a moment. She had never seen such clothing in her world. Maybe it was a new fashion statement? Human fashion evolved very frequently from her understanding.

"Aren't you a cutie? Why are you still on the floor?" Another voice said in a flirty tone. Naofumi directed her attention to the source. A young man had his hand held out towards her. His blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail as a smirk layed on his lips. Ah, he was a womanizer. Naofumi dealt with plenty of those during her centuries of life. They never amused her much, but it was fun to play with them for a bit.

Naofumi smiled and gently pushed away his hand, much to the young man's dismay. She stood up on her own, brushing whatever dirt was on her off. Now fully taking in her surrounding, she wasn't in the library anymore. Instead, she stood in a stranger dark room with people she had never seen before. The architecture was unfamiliar as well. It looked to beeastern European, but she couldn't really tell. She had never left Japan before.

She let her gaze shift over to the side to see two other young men. One with slightly wavy hair holding a bow in one hand, the other with straight black hair holding a sword. Naofumi recounted the events that had happened. She was in a strange room with odd people. She didn't know where she was. Judging by the magic circle she was summoned to another world maybe? Oh! It was just like those isekai she reads, but only this world felt very real. Naofumi was lost in her own thoughts, before she let out a slight grin.

This was going to be fun.


	2. Deceit

Naofumi knew these humans for maybe a minute, and she could already tell; all three of them were demanding idiots. They all just arrived to this world and each of them were getting on her nerves. They were already making demands. If she had done something like that to Inari, Naofumi's head would be on a spike. The humans held themselves with pride, which was good to have. Too much pride was dangerous though. The summoners asked the heroes to follow then to meet the king. The others agreed, while Naofumi stayed silent and followed the group.

The fox had decided to hide her ears and tails for a bit longer. Humans tended to show their true selves when in the presence of another human.

The summoned heroes were following the cloaked people up a spiraling stone staircase. Half way through the venture, Naofumi peakes through an opening that had three metal bars through it. Naofumi peaked through the bars to see dirt roads and buildings with red roofs. If she focused even closer, she could see a shopping district. People were walking through the streets going about their day.

"Even the air here is different..." Naofumi mumbled, letting a breeze rustle her dark locks.

A voice spoke up, "Have you never left Japan before?" Naofumi looked up to see that the voice belonged to the young man with a bow. His voice sounded slighlty judgmental like he thought he was better than her, even though they had just met. Naofumi hasn't lived this long without learning a thing or two.

"Judging by the breeze, I would say this place has a fairly standard Mediterranean climate." The one with a sword spoke.

Naofumi blinked, "No, I never left Japan. You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge for now." Naofumi let her stare be drawn back to the outside. It was true she never left Japan technically. She did go to the underworld for a few assignments, and she frequently go back a forth from the spirit realm to the human world.

"That's fine," the spear wielder spoke up. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of tim to explore this world. How about you and me go out together for a bit after this meeting?"

Had he no shame? They only had just met, and he believes himself to be a suitable mating candidate. It was obvious the man was a flirt. The fox gave the man a smile. Naofumi politely refused the blonde's invitation and apologized for keeping the group waiting.

They passed a multitude of people in the halls in outfits Naofumi wasn't familiar with. The bystanders all whispered to one another in hushed tones about the summoned heroes. Naofumi heightened sense of hearing could make out that they were calling her the 'devil of the shield'. What a strange name to call someone you just saw passing by. Naofumi waved to the gossipers, who blushed at the sight of her face. Kitsunes were naturally bewitching and attention grabbing no matter what. It was only natural a person would feel the heat rush to their cheeks at the sight of one in human form.

When group arrived at the throne room, they stood side by side. A man in purple robes sat in a throne. His face was stern and purple eyes stared intently at all of them. Naofumi noticed when his eyes were on her, they filled with disgust.

"My name is Aultcray Melromarc the 32nd, ruler of the country of Melromarc. Brave heroes, please introduce yourselves." The king asked, his voice projected through the room.

The young man with the bow was the first one to introduce himself, "My name is Kawasumi Itsuki. I'm a 17 year old highschool student."

"I am Amaki Ren, age 16. I'm a highschool student as well." Ren wore an uninterested expression on his face.

"The name's Kitamura Motoyasu. I'm a 21 year old college student." He sent a wink to one of the noble woman to his right.

Naofumi opened her mouth to introduce herself, but was interrupted by the king. "Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu are your names? Hm."

"Excuse me, you skipped over me." Naofumi called out.

The king sent a glare her way, "Forgive me, I must have not seen you. Introduce yourself, shield hero." Interesting, the king of this country already didn't like her. Naofumi refrained from rolling her eyes.

"My given name is Iwatani Naofumi. I work at a shrine." Naofumi said. It wasn't a lie. She did work at a shrine, but it was more so as a protector and a divine messenger. She also granted blessings when people made offerings. Naofumi also had forgotten her original name. The name she used was given to her by her goddess Inari.

"Hey Nao-chan, you didn't state your age." Motoyasu grinned at her.

Right, she couldn't give her real age if she wanted to play human for a bit longer. When did she stop aging? The last time she physically age was maybe three centuries a go. When Naofumi asked Rika, the maiden said the fox looked like she was in her early 20s. Naofumi will go with that. "I'm 20 years old. Sorry, I must have forgotten." Naofumi stated. Most of the people in the room gave the shield hero a confused look. How could she forget her own age?

The king didn't acknowledge Naofumi's introduction and continued, "I owe you heroes and explanation to why you are here."

The king went on to explain the waves that were plaguing his world. Waves that were taking lives and bringing countries into ruin. The soldiers had tried to stop them, but they barely made it out alive the last wave. Naofumi thought for a second. This exactly was the plot of that book she was reading.

Ren slammed the tip of his sword into the red carpeting, "Ok, we get the gist of what your saying. Don't expect us to work for free though."

One of the king's advisors spoke up, "You need not worry heroes. Once a month you will be given funding. As well as every wave you defeat, you will be handsomely rewarded depending on how you contributed."

Motoyasu grinned, "Seems we have no choice, but to take you in your word."

"But don't think you can tame us." Ren added.

Itsuki nodded, "We won't take any of you looking down on us."

Naofumi held back her urge to roll her eyes and keep her calm composure. These men seriously need to get their attitudes in check. What did Inari always say? No matter how beautiful a man is, ugliness can still show. A man who appears ugly may have a beautiful soul. Though, her goddess had a habit of saying such words when she was drunk off of wine. Inari, you were so insightful at the worst of times.

"If we have reached an argeement, I will ask you heroes to check your status." The king spoke.

"What's a status?" Naofumi inquired. The heroes gave the king a confused look except for Ren.

"Didn't you all notice? Look in the corner of your vision there's an icon. Try focusing on it." Ren explained.

Naofumi did see this so called 'icon' and did as the youngest hero said. A transparent screen appeared in front of her with various numbers. By her name it said she was level one, was that a good thing?

"It says I'm only level one," Itsuki spoke. "That seems troubling."

Motoyasu rubbed his chin, "Yeah, how are we going to be able to fight like this."

"Do you mind explaining to us what this is?" Naofumi shut her status screen and looked over to the king.

"It's called status magic," his advisor spoke. "It's an ability exclusive to the four cardinal heroes. In order to get stronger, you must set out on an adventure to develop and upgrade your weapons."

"Hm, so the four of us will have to form a party? Don't worry Nao-chan, we'll make use of you even with that shield." Motoyasu smirked. Naofumi seriously felt like vomitting. She wasn't a woman who needed to be protected by any means. People usually found that out the hard way.

"One moment, legend says that the four heroes should not form a party together. It will only hinder the development of your weapons. Tomorrow, brave volunteers will be distributed among each one of you. Until then, I will advise you to rest in your prepared rooms." The king said.

He waved his hand, and a maid approached the heroes. The maid did so. Midway through their trip, Motoyasu proceeded to ask Naofumi to stop by his room so they two of then could get along better. Naofumi agreed, but urged the other two heroes to join after dinner.

Naofumi took a seat on the couch in Motoyasu's room after dinner. All four heroes were in the room. Naofumi scanned through her status screen not paying much attention to the other heroes in the room. Motoyasu sat at the edge of his bed, legs crossed. His spear casually leaning on his shoulder. Itsuki sat across from Naofumi in a red cushioned chair. Ren had his arms folded as his back was pressed against the wall. Naofumi knew they were conversing, but paid them to mind. It seemed like all her stats were low. Maybe? There was no number by her attack stat, but there was a two dashed line. Did that mean it was immeasurable? She was an other wordly being. Did that have some effect on her stats?

"Hey Nao-chan, you've been silent this whole time. Are you shy? I promise I don't bite." Motoyasu smirked at the disguised fox.

Naofumi exited out of her status screen. "Sorry, is there something you wanted?"

Motoyasu grinned, "We were talking about how this world seems like a videogame."

"A videogame?" Naofumi mumbled. A videogame? What was that again? Oh, that's right. She had seen some maidens playing one of those. Naofumi simply just looked on and didn't join, but it seemed like fun.

"Yeah, like Emerald Online! This world is exactly like it." Motoyasu pointed out.

"What are you talking about? This world is like Dimension Web." Itsuki disagreed with the spear hero.

Ren spoke up, "You're both wrong. This world is like Brave Star Online."

Naofumi was confused by these strange names being thrown around wildly. She let out a sigh as the three others argued. Naofumi clapped her hands like she was grabbing the attention of children. It worked though, so she wasn't complaining.

"You're all giving very different answers nd are saying that something like that didn't exist in your world," The fox spoke. "I believe it is possible that we all came from different worlds."

"Different worlds?" Itsuki questioned. "What made you come to that conclusion?"

Naofumi hummed, "It's just a hypothesis, but lets test this theory. Who is the person on the 1000 yen bill?"

As Naofumi expected, all of them said different answers. That wasn't enough for the others, who continued to test Naofumi's theory. The questions never received the expected answers.

"So we are all from parallel versions of Japan," Itsuki spoke. "How odd."

"Even though you all are from parallel worlds," Naofumi began. "It appears you have a great deal of knowledge about this world from your 'videogames'. Unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge on the subject."

Naofumi didn't really like this new world. She'll stay her for another day before she leaves. If she opens a portal to the spirit world, she should be able to transfer herself between worlds. Until then, she'll just have to deal with it.

"Do you mind telling me about the shield since you all have know so much about this about this?" Naofumi asked.

The others stayed silent, but Motoyasu approached the seated woman. "Well as the oldest, I'll give you the run down about the shield." He put his face right in front of her's. "It's a class nobody really cares for because it's usually for beginners who have no clue about the game mechanics. It's the weakest class."

Naofumi pushed his face away, "Is that true for the two of you as well?" She faced Itsuki and Ren with a smile. Both young men had to suppress a blush at the sight.

Itsuki let out a cough, "Well, it is true. The shield is a useless class."

Ren looked away,"Sorry to say, but he's right."

Naofumi let out a grin and clapped her hands together, "Well doesn't that sound interesting! This is going to be fun!"

The other heroes looked at the woman in shock. They did hear her right? Fun? After they all just said the shield was useless?

Motoyasu let out a nervous laugh, "Fun? Nao-chan, did you hear what we just said?"

Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I said fun. I think it would be really entertaining to see what will happen. My weapon is completely useless from your point of view. I'm curious about how this will hinder me. The best entertainment is one that you don't expect."

Naofumi knew kitsunes had an odd view about things they found fun. The foxes lived a long life, and it's only natural that they would seek out new sources of entertainment.

Motoyasu let out a hesitant chuckle, "Well, if it doesn't bother you-"

Naofumi abruptly stood up and patted down her pants, "It doesn't. I think I'll rest for the rest of the night. Have a goodnight you three."

Naofumi left the room to go to her own, leaving the three to sit there in silence. Motoyasu took his seat on he couch and leaned back, "She's a strange one? Like, she seriously thinks it going to be 'fun' having the weakest weapon."

"That's not the only reason why she's so odd," Itsuki began. "When introducing herself, she said she forgot her own age. Iwatani-san, also didn't speak much about her world. She wears the clothes of a shrine maiden, but I don't think she is one."

"So you think she's lying? Can't say I blame you. She seems a bit off. It would be best to keep an eye on her in the future." Ren reasoned.

Motoyasu just shrugged, "I mean with a face like that, she can do whatever she wants. Seriously you two, have you ever seen someone so eye catching? Well, besides me off course." The older blonde bragged. He effectively earned a sigh from the two younger heroes.

It was the next day that the summoned heroes were called to the throne room once again. There were two rows of people lined up, staring intently at the heroes. Naofumi twirled a piece of hair around her finger. She couldn't wait to go and explore this world. The fox almost left this morning, but was stopped by the guards telling her to go to the throne room.

The king seated in the same throne looked at the four heroes. "Brave heroes, these individuals have volunteered to help you in your quest. They shall be loyal and by your side to assist in growing and strengthening you weapons. Now implore you brave souls to go a choose the hero you want to serve."

The volunteers with a set hero in their heart approached the four other worlders, and stood behind them. Unfortunately, none of them were behind Naofumi. Naofumi let out a hum. It seems like no one in this world liked the shield. It didn't bother her much, but she was hoping to find someone loyal enough to be her maiden.

"It seems the shield holds little favor amongst the crowd," the king said. Naofumi heard the slight sound of happiness when the king said that. He wanted Naofumi to adventure alone, didn't he?

Naofumi smiled, "It seems that way doesn't it. Oh well, no changing what already has been done."

The king was taken a back with how little this bothered the shield hero. She surely needed people to help her level up, but she seemed to not have a care in the world. Why didn't she show the slightest bit of concern?

"Is that all? Can we leave now?" Naofumi questioned. The king jumped a bit in the seat. Truly, nothing phased this wench. She was addressing the king like she was speaking to a child. The king had to bite back a growl. How dare she-

"Wait," A female voice rang out. "If the shield hero doesn't have an companions, I would be more than happy to accompany her."

Naofumi looked over to a red headed woman in leather armour that was a bit to eager to go over to Motoyasu's line. The woman wore a bright smile on her face, but Naofumi wasn't an idiot.

"No," Naofumi returned the smile. "I would hate to force anyone to join me."

"It really is no problem, shield hero. I believe no adventurer should ever be alone." The girl insisted. "My name is Myne Sophia, and it would be an honor to serve you."

The smile Myne wore seemed genuine to anybody who wasn't Naofumi. She knew Myne had a plan, but the fox didn't know what. That was troubling, but she'll allow it. The moment she finds out Myne's plan, she'll make the decision whether the girl lives or not.

Naofumi gave the woman a smile, "Well if it's alright with you. I hope we get along."

Once the heroes and their parties received their fundings, it was time to begin their adventure. Naofumi was given 800 silver coins to begin with. It was more than what the other heroes were given, since she had to bribe or recruit other people to join her.

Currently, the pair of woman were walking down a busy street of the shopping district. Naofumi was easily distracted by the various stalls and people, she wasn't really speaking to her scheming companion. The fox did notice people with animal ears on top of their heads. It was a bit surprising. Normally, in public with crowds of humans such features were hidden. It would be bothersome to be stopped ever two minutes by a human seeking a blessing.

"Shield hero, I think it would be wise to go and buy some armour." Myne spoke up, breaking Naofumi from her own thoughts. The woman insisted on carrying the Naofumi's money in her hands.

"Armour? I suppose that would be helpful in battle for you. Pick a shop." Naofumi said. The fox didn't really need armour. She was quick. Many battles have taught her that skill was much better than expensive armour or weapons. Humans were more delicate and needed the extra protection.

"Of course!" Myne agreed, running towards a blacksmith's shop with Naofumi trailing behind her.

Entering the shop, they were greeted by a bald headed, middle aged man with muscles that showed years of experience. Naofumi took one look over his display of armour and knew he took pride in his work.

"Welcome! What can I help you two ladies with?" The man had a grin on his face as he leaned forward resting his arms on the wooden counter in front of him. Unlike Motoyasu, the grin wasn't flirtatious or have other motives. It seemed like he generally liked what he did here. If he proved himself worthy, Naofumi will give him a small blessing of good fortune.

"We would like some weapons and armour," Myne smiled. "Our budget is about 250 silver pieces."

"I would like to see your blades if you will." Naofumi added. "I don't have a preference to what kind of blade though."

"Hm, I'll be right back." The man said, and exused himself to the back of the shop. Myne went to look at a set of armour that caught her eye. Naofumi stood in the same place as her party member gathered equipment. The shopkeeper came back with a variety of blades in his arms and set them in a row on the table. Naofumi started to inspect each one, before reaching a hand out to touch the handle. A shock ran through her finger tips, causing her to retract her hand. A transparent screen appeared in her line of vision.

Legendary Weapon Breach of Agreement!

A hero may not use another weapon with the intent to fight with other than the equiped legendary weapon!

Naofumi blinked at the notification. What a pesty little shield. Though, it didn't matter too much. Naofumi had slain plenty without weapons before.

"Sorry, but it appears that my shield prohibits me from using other weapons." Naofumi apologized.

"Really? That's too bad then. A shield isn't really much of a weapon for any active adventurer." The man said. Their was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes that Naofumi noticed.

Myne set down a set of armour on the counter. She picked up one and gave it too the shield hero. "Here, I believe this chainmail will be perfect for you. I'll get this set of armour."

Naofumi looked over the silver colored armour Myne was so intent on getting, as well as the chainmail placed within her arms. "How much will all this cost?"

The shopkeeper thought for a second, "All together, it'll cost about 400 silver with a first customer discount."

"Discount?" Naofumi questioned.

"Well since you two are new customers, and I can't supply one of you with weapons, it only seemed fair. As long as you continue your patronage here, I have no problem." The man grinned. He was unexpectedly kind.

"Isn't this great, shield hero?" Myne said. "We'll have plenty of money left over for our other expenses."

"You're right," Naofumi said. "You should go put your armour on, while I pay." Myne nodded and almost skipped to the changing room with her new expensive armour.

"You're not going to put on your armour, kiddo?" The man asked.

Naofumi shook her head, "I'll save it until my current clothes can no longer be worn. I would hate to ruin your work's quality so quickly."

Once Myne was done changing, the pair left the blacksmith's shop. Before they exited, Naofumi lightly tapped the door frame. She gave the man's shop a small blessing of fortune. It would simply attract more customers, nothing too big. She forgot to get his name. Next visit she'll ask.

The next stop for the pair was the meadow outside the city's walls to level up. In the distance, Naofumi saw Ren training. The sword wielder's party members were looking, but not joining their hero. Ren paid no mind to that as he hacked through monsters.

Naofumi then felt a weight being pressed against her left arm. Upon closer inspection an orange ball with teeth was gnawing into her.

"Myne, what is this?" Naofumi poked the ball with her other hand.

"It's a ballon, shield hero. It a lower level demon, but their quite aggressive. Sadly, without a weapon-"

_Pop! _

Myne looked at the shield hero, who defeated the small demon with just her bare hands.

From the corner of her vision, Naofumi saw her exp rise by a measly 1. That wouldn't do at all. Naofumi blinked, "Hm, we should find some more. Come along, Myne."

It was later in the day that the two decided to head to an inn for the night. Naofumi raised her level to 2 by the noon time, before she found herself bored with such weak prey.

The two woman were dining as Naofumi looked over a map. There seemed to be a dungeon not to far from the meadow they trained in. Hopefully, there will be stronger monster there. The balloons were an unsatisfying foe.

"Shield hero, are you not going to drink?" Myne asked, taking a sip of wine. Was that her plan? To get Naofumi drunk? It was the oldest trick in the book.

"I'm sorry. I don't drink," Naofumi said, pushing the glass away and getting up. "I'll be going to bed now. We have a long day tomorrow. I suggest you do the same, Myne. Goodnight."

Naofumi went to her room and shut the door behind her. Now for the real exploring to begin. Naofumi opened the window above the wooden desk in the room and slid out. It was a quick climb to the roof without the people below noticing.

When Naofumi was on the roof, she proceed to jump from building to building. The fox looked down at the city. This world had an active nightlife just like her own. Her siblings would love it here. Her younger brother would be invested in the history, while her sister explored every corner of this world. It would be a nice vacation from their usually busy lives. Naofumi sat on the roof of what appeared to be a mansion, looking over the city.

How long had it been since she was a naive human? One that could foolishly have the luxury of being oblivious to the world. From what Naofumi remembered about her human life, she never was naive. She couldn't afford to be.

Naofumi let out a sigh. As much as she liked this world so far, it would be wrong not to report her findings to Inari and tell her siblings where she was. Naofumi stood up. She'll have to make a portal to the spirit world and from there return to her own world.

Naofumi held out her hand and a dim gold like began to shine. There was another shock that zapped her hand. Naofumi pulled away from her spell.

Breach of Contract!

A hero may not return to their world until all waves are defeated!

Another rule for Naofumi to follow. This stupid shield is doing more harm than good. She let her finger trace along the shield's edges. Surely, it had some use.

All to suddenly the sun began to rise. Had Naofumi really been out that long? Oh well, she had to return to Myne if she wanted to keep this oblivious human act up longer.

When Naofumi had returned to her room through the open window, she found that her possessions had disappeared. The chainmail she had bought and all her money were gone. It wasn't like Naofumi was planning to wear the chainmail, but she was going to use the money.

The fox hummed and rubbed her chin. Was she really gone for that long? Someone obviously snuck it her room when she was on her stroll through the city. Obviously, the person didn't know about Naofumi's keen nose. The fox started to sniff around and found a familiar scent. It was Myne's.

Naofumi wasn't too surprised. She was honestly expecting this to happen but not this soon. Oh well, the fox in disguise will just have to track the girl down. It took some time out of her day that she was going to use to explore some more, but she really wanted that money back.

Suddenly, a loud knocking was at her door. The banging was furious. Naofumi thought the door was going to fly off the hinges if she didn't open it. Naofumi was more than irked now. Couldn't she have just a moment of peace?

Naofumi opened the door, only to be faced with a spear tip mere inches away from her nose. Naofumi looked at the soldier holding the weapon with a bored expression. There were other soldiers behind the main offender, all in a battle ready stance.

"Is there something you need?" Naofumi asked. She let one finger go to the tip of the blade and gave it a light poke. They should really sharpen this blade. It was almost dull.

"Shield Hero, you are under arrest for scheming the sexual assualt of your party member!" The soldier harshly called out. "You are to be brought to the castle for a trial!"

Naofumi quirked an eyebrow. A party member? Was the soldier talking about Myne? This was starting to give the fox a headache. Whatever, she should just get this over with.

"Well, I guess I should go to the castle. Are you all going to escort me?" Naofumi questioned. Naofumi made a movement and began to walk down the hall with the guards close behind her. She felt the tip of a blade press against her back as if it would threaten her.

"Don't you dare think about escaping!" One soldier barked, as he prodded at Naofumi.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Naofumi gave the guard a smile. "Let's hurry. I want to get this over with."

During the walk to the castle, Naofumi was surrounded by various armored men.

When she arrived in the castle's throne room, Naofumi was forced to her knees. Naofumi went to her standard seating positon. Her spine straight, legs folded, and feet tucked underneath her body. She placed her hands in her lap, folded on top of one another. It didn't really bother her that spears were pointed at her. Honestly, she's been in much worse situations.

The King stood in front of his throne with a furious expression on his face. Nobles stood around, whispering to themselves. They let their stares pierce through Naofumi's being, judging the shield hero intensely. Her fellow heroes were standing a few feet in front of her and behind them was Myne, looking like a frightened little lamb.

"Myne, do you mind telling me what happened? I'm very confused about my current situation." Naofumi calmly stated.

The king stood up from his seat and gave the shield hero a sneer. "Silence! Trash like you has no right to speak!" The king let out a sigh and looked at Myne who shook in her spot. "I hate to ask this of you, but would you please explain what happened last night once more?"

"Last night, I was preparing for bed. The shield hero had barged into my room, reeking of alcohol. She wanted me to sell my body for money that she had gambled away. When I denied her, she flew into a rage." Myne sobbed, "She proceeded to beat me and tear away my clothes. I managed to escape and find Motoyasu-sama who was staying at the same inn! I was so scared!" The sobbing woman put her head in her hands as she cried. Motoyasu secured his arm around her in a comforting manner, letting the woman cry into his stolen chainmail.

"To think I was actually worried about you," Itsuki stated. "I thought there was something off about you, but to think you would do something so vile to your own party member."

"Guess you think in this world, you can do whatever the hell you want." Ren said.

In just two days, Naofumi could read the other heroes' personalities. Motoyasu just wanted to make himself look good. The way he was toying with his spear, he was throwing it around with no care. It just proved he didn't know what he was doing. He also couldn't think for himself. He believed the words of a sobbing girl who was clinging to him. The action just stroked his ego. Itsuki seemed to be very judgmental. He was choosing to believe in a girl who seem to need his help. It was obvious he needed to feel like he was needed. No, he needed to feel like he was better than everyone else. Naofumi had a bit of hope for Ren, but the sword wielder didn't need any of her pity. The fox noticed a slight upwards turn oh Itsuki's lips. He was enjoying watching this so called trial. From her first impression of him, Ren wanted to be the cold, loner type. It seemed like he values stength above anything else, judging by what she saw in the fields yesterday. Naofumi had met men like them in the past, and all of them had very unfortunate endings.

Naofumi hummed, "Well, it wasn't me. I was out for a stroll last night. When I went back to my room, all my belonging were gone. Honestly, I think I'm the victim here. Especially with Motoyasu wearing my stolen armour."

Motoyasu laughed, "Stolen? This armour was given to me by Myne yesterday. Stop getting off topic and admit to your crimes already!"

Naofumi was not amused. Was he really playing hero right now like this was a game?

"Well, what evidence is there to convict me?" Naofumi rubbed her chin. "If I had tore her clothes off, where are the shreds?"

The king growled, "In our custody, you animal!"

"Then why don't you bring them out? Unless you're lying about having them." Naofumi's eyes darkened. Myne seemed to have started to sob harder at Naofumi's words. Motoyasu pushed her behind him, block the red head from Naofumi's view.

"You want her to relive what happened last night! Are you a monster?" The spear hero yelled at Naofumi. "I knew there was something off about you the moment you got here!"

"Normally, you would be executed for forcing a person into sexual slavery! You're lucky you're a cardinal hero if not, your head would be on a stick!" The king roared.

Naofumi didn't seem fazed by his words at all. She just let out a sigh. "Fine, since I'm not wanted here then I guess the only option is for me to return home. Surely, you can summon another hero in my place." Naofumi then let out a yawn. This was going on for too long for her liking. If she can't go home by herself, the king must know how to get her home.

"So you're just going to run away when things get tough? How low can you get?" Ren scolded her.

"Are you seriously going to abandon a world in crisis?" Itsuki said. "How much more despicable can you get? It's like you don't even care-"

"I don't," Naofumi interrupted to everyone's shock. "Why would I care about a world that is prosecuting me without a fair trial? If you would please send me back to my world."

"Why you-" The king growled. "Unfortunately, you can no be returned to your world as much as I would like to. Legend dictates that the four cardinal heroes can not be returned to their world unless all of them perish."

The three offensive users looked shocked at the news, except for Naofumi how was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. "So there's no way I can return home?"

"Not yet, but there is a way. You must defeat all the waves in this world, then you will be able to leave this world forever." The king said. "A lowly criminal like yourself can do that, shield hero. Until then, you must live with the shame of a criminal. Feel lucky, I'm allowing you to live."

Naoumi was more than irriated now. These people didn't deserve her help, but it looks like she had no choice. From the corner of Naofumi's eye, she saw Myne stick her tongue out in a teasing manor. It was too bad for Myne that Naofumi was an apex predator. The fox had just found her prey. Naofumi's eyes visibly dulled.

This wasn't fun.


	3. Trial

The fox always tried her very best to be forgiving, but forgiveness was difficult. Naofumi truly wanted to believe that every being had a sense of good in them. Though, that thought was always just fiction. Humans tended to never see the error of their ways no matter what. Naofumi pondered for a second. Well, she'll give this woman a chance or two to admit her lies. Gods, she was going soft. Before she wouldn't hesitate to break a person's leg.

Naofumi felt the tip of one of the guard's spears grace her neck, but she didn't move an inch. Her face contained the same neutrality it always had. "Myne, I think this prank has gone on far enough. I'm giving you two chances to admit you are wrong. We both know I didn't assualt you. The faster you admit that, the faster we can move on with our lives." The fox let out a sweet smile.

Myne buried her face into Motoyasu's chainmail, letting out fake sobs. The spear hero securely wrapped an arm around the red haired woman, giving a disappointed look towards Naofumi.

"How can you say something like that? You're a disgusting person!" Motoyasu pointed at Naofumi, who should no emotion. She just simply raised her brow at the blonde. What a complete idiot. All it took was a weeping girl and he was wrapped around her finger. Wow, how pathetic.

"One last chance, Myne. I suggest you take it." Naofumi stated. "I would hate to punish you for your lies."

The whole room was seemingly shouting at the shield hero. Had she no shame? She out this poor girl through so much, and now she was pratically bullying the poor girl to take back her statement.

Naofumi hummed, "Well, I've been very considerate. I think it's time that all of you are punished." Naofumi attempted to stand up out of her seated position.

"Why you-! Guards, Cease the shield hero!" The king finally lost his temper and order the royal guards to attack Naofumi.

One of the guards from behind Naofumi, raised his spear and aimed for the woman's head. The tip got close until it was stopped. In a split second, the blade was held in between two of Naofumi's fingers. The soldier was shocked at the movement. It was so fast, nobody in the room could see it. The soldier was stunned for a moment, but made an attempt to wiggle his weapon out of Naofumi's grasp.

Naofumi let her gaze look back and let out a sigh. "I told you all I didn't do it. Perhaps, you need more proof of what I'm truly capable of, than we can compare the wounds on the soldiers to Myne."

Before anyone could stop her, Naofumi flipped the guard up into the air. The bystanders couldn't even react when the armored man came to a skidding halt on the floor. Everyone couldn't believe what they just had witnessed. Wasn't the shield hero suppose to be the weakest hero? But she had so easily stopped an attack and defeated a soldier with just one hand.

"Hopefully, this will be fun." Naofumi turned to the other soldiers in the room. "To follow just an idiotic king, I almost feel sorry for all of you." A smirk crept onto Naofumi's lips as her green eyes suddenly became a glowing yellow. "Sorry about this."

On top of Naofumi's head, two pointed ears popped out. The roots of her hair turning white, then progressing to the rest of her head. White fur started to sprout from her body, and a fox's muzzle started to form on her face. Her multiple tails sprang from her lower back and started to swirl around in a hypnotizing vortex. Red marking started to appear on her fur covered face. The fur on her hands were a crimson color which contrasted the rest of her body. The shield hero was starting to appear more like a beastman than human.

The court was stunned at this transformation. Some even trembled where they stood, gazing at the opposing figure of the beast. The king was about to bark out another order, but Naofumi was too quick. Before even a syllable was uttered, the fox appeared behind the group of guards and attacked each one. Naofumi gave one a swift kick in the middle of his back, and sent him flying a few feet foward into an unexpecting group. The shield hero then grabbed the collar of one and threw him against the wall.

A few guards snapped out of their shock and tried to rush the shield hero. Naofumi couldn't help but feel pity. Though, she gave them chances to right their wrong. No pity should be felt. As a spear was thrusted towards her midsection and a sword was about to swipe at her neck, Naofumi gracefully dodged both attacks. Naofumi had ducked away from another sword swipe and delivered a few blows to the stomach of the assailant. The soldier took a moment to regain his composure. In this second, Naofumi grabbed him by the hair and flung him to the floor.

Naofumi turned and in a split second, she kneed one soldier in the gut. He gasped for air. She then ducked from another swing of a sword from behind her. Naofumi then jumped a good 20 feet into the air and slammed her tails down in the soldiers thag were originally crowding her. Well dressed nobles and servants made a break for the door only to be stopped by blue flames trapping them.

"Now, it's rude to leave so suddenly." The fox scolded. In her paw was one guard lifted off the ground, before being tossed to the side like a bag of potatoes. "I would advise you all to sit still until I'm done. I would hate for more casualties than needed."

Naofumi's fur retracted into her body, until she looked like she did before. She left the pair of black ears on top of her head and the nine, swishing white tails behind her. There was also a fox mask on her face with red markings.

Naofumi took off the mask from her face to reveal glowing yellow eyes, that reverted back to their normal green color. She placed the mask on her hip. It was like it was being held up by an invisible string. "Well, wasn't that a waste of time."

"You-You're a demihuman!" The king roared, pointing an accusatory finger at the shield hero. "How can a filthy demihuman have this much strength? You sly devil! You were meant to trick us all! We open our hospitality to you, and are most likely a spy from a neighboring country!"

His voice was starting to annoy the fox. Even though he was in the body of an adult, the king was a child who didn't know how to play with his toys yet. How sad.

"Demihuman?" Naofumi questioned. "I never heard that word before to describe me."

The kitsune began to approach the king's throne, and no one made an effort to stop her. All of the onlookers were glued to there spots, their feet unable to move.

Naofumi's tails swished around behind her. "My kind have many names. Some call us gods, spirits, or demons even. I like to think we're all of them combined. To be precise though, my species are called kitsune."

"Kitsune..." Ren mumbled. Naofumi drew her eyes towards the young man, who quickly averted them.

"Yes, I'm a kitsune. I didn't ask, but do my kind also exist in your world?" Naofumi asked the hero. "That goes for all three of you. Tell me and maybe I'll pity you."

Itsuki was the first to speak, "I have heard of them, but I thought they were just myth-"

"Myth? I assure you I'm very real." Naofumi smirked. "If I wasn't nobody would be groaning in pain."

"Heroes, I implore you what have you heard about this 'kitsune' from your mythology." The king said. He held down the urge to shoot the grinning fox a glare.

Itsuki looked nervous, "They're shape shifting foxes that are extremely powerful from mythology. From legends, serve a goddess named Inari."

"My, very good!" Naofumi praised him. "Itsuki, you know just the basics of my kind. Congratulations, I'm almost impressed. Judging by how stiff you've gotten Motoyasu, it seems that you've heard about my species as well?"

Naofumi looked over to the frozen man, who's face was filled with shock. Myne was still behind him. Naofumi directed a smirk at her, before turning away.

"I think I would like to have a seat. King, please get up from your throne, a boy who does not know how to play nicely, shouldn't be sitting there." Naofumi said.

The king sputtered, his face turning red in anger. "H-how dare you! I am the king of this country! How dare you speak to me that way! I am your superior!"

Naofumi's smile fell. "I assure you I'm centuries older than anyone in this room. I've killed more people than you can imagine in order to live this long. I am not asking you to move. I'm telling you. If you don't I'll break both of your arms, and I would hate to resort to violence again."

The king looked like he was about to explode. His hands filled with rings clutched the golden arms of his throne. The deadly calm fox could see veins popping out of his neck. One of the king's scared advisors whipsered into the angered monarch's ear. The king looked even more displeased as he got up slowly from his seat.

Naofumi smirked, "Good boy. Now go stand over there," Naofumi pointed to a place near the heroes. "And stay still."

The king let out a sneer. This acursed shield was treating him like a dog. His advisor whispered more words to him, and the king reluctantly moved over. Naofumi approached the throne and sat down. She placed an elbow on the throne's arm, and leaned her head into her hand as she gazed over the entire room. People were waiting to see her next move. Why wouldn't they be? She had displayed such power unheard of for the shield hero. Naofumi's ears twitched with ever hushed whisper. The fox let out a sigh.

"First of all, I would like my money back. Give me 6000 silver." Naofumi said.

"6000! I only gave you 800!" The king yelled, he was being restrained by his advisors.

Naofumi rolled her eyes, "You treat me unfairly, I treat you unfairly. Now, the money please."

One of the advisors ordered a servant to prepare the funds. The servant rushed out of the room and returned a good while later to plop the bag filled with coins into Naofumi's hands. When the fox looked over it, she placed the bag by her feet.

"You know," Naofumi began. "I wanted to have a civil conversation with you all, but you forced me to take such measures. Honestly, if you would have done this to any other kitsune, you would be dead instantly. Not many tolerate such foolishness like I do, but I suppose that's my own fault. I always did have a soft spot for humans. No matter who idiotic they act, your species have some charming qualities."

It didn't seem like Naofumi was talking to one person in particular when she spoke. She waa addressing the whole crowd that waa trapped within this lavished room.

Naofumi inspected her nails for any blood, "And because of that soft spot for humans, people assume I'm weak. You all thought so as well, didn't you? But that's all because of this shield that's so firmly attached to me, right?"

"T-that's not true-" A noble woman spoke up frantically, a nervous smile was on her face. "We know better than to call a hero such things!"

"Right, I heard your voice yesterday. You called me the 'shield devil', did you not?" Naofumi didn't bother to look at the woman, but her voice was like a winter tundra. The woman visibly tensed. Naofumi sighed, "It's best for the people in this room to speak when spoken too. Stay quiet, unless you want to ruin my mood further."

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Naofumi turned her head to the grand windows that were pouring light into the room.

"Honestly, this trial was a joke. You all were going to convict me of a supposed crime without any real evidence. I'm more so disappointed in my fellow heroes. To think you talked so much about not being tamed yesterday, only to be on a leash today." Naofumi looked over at the three heroes and crossed her legs. "Do you mind telling me why you believed Myne instead of me? The curiosity is killing me."

Motoyasu was the first to speak up, "Well, you see Myne was in such a panic, I wanted to protect her. I was just so angry at the idea of her being forced against her will into prostitution that I was blindsided."

"You have to understand," Itsuki spoke. "If a person came to you in a state of despair, wouldn't you try to help them in anyway you could? You're a messenger of the gods, Naofumi. There are stories of kitsunes helping people that have nothing to live for. The kitsune helps them through their ordeal and gives the person a will to live again. In way, isn't that what we did with Myne?"

Naofumi closed her eyes and leaned in her hand. She stayed silent for a few moments. "Ren, what's your excuse?"

The youngest hero had a look of guilt on his face, "I don't have an excuse."

Naofumi peaked through her eyelashes at the shameful sword hero. My, how small he looked now. "Please, enlighten my 'coward' self. Isn't that what you called me? A coward."

Ren averted his eyes to the floor, "I don't have an excuse for my actions..."

"I see," Naofumi said. "Well, do you want to know what I think of your previous actions? You three were trying to play the role of hero, but you failed miserably. You're just upset that you got caught. You simply want to play around in this world like one of your 'videogames' without consequence. If I was a human, my name would be dragged through the mud. This sorry excuse for a trial, could have destroyed my life. All of you in this room are guilty of having no sense of your own conscious. Therefore, all of you will suffer the consequences."

Again, the room was in an uproar. A few nobles broke from the crowds and collapsed at Naofumi's feet.

"Please Shield Hero, we were only listening to our king!" A man pleaded with her, his head pressed against the floor.

A woman wearing a golden dress looked up at the fox, "Yes, that's right! Please do not make us suffer!"

"Enough!" Naofumi was more than annoyed . "Every single one of you had the chance to speak up during that pathetic trial. All of you sat back like an obediant puppy. If the master is going to be punished then the animals he keeps close will have the same fate."

The courtroom gasped at Naofumi words. Motoyasu decided to reason with the angered fox, "Hey Naofumi-chan, don't you think that's a little harsh? Myne was still assualted, right? We'll work extra hard to find the person who actually did it, so-!"

"Enough." Naofumi interupted him. Motoyasu looked taken a back. "I gave her two chances to admit that it wasn't me, and she didn't take them. I believe my punishment is very reasonable. If it was another kitsune she wronged, Myne would be tortured until her death or used as a plaything."

"P-papa!" Myne looked at her father. "Do something! I was assaulted! I promise!" Myne hid behind Motoyasu's back. Did she really think that was going to stop Naofumi?

The king was that girl's father? Oh, that makes sense. They both had the same level of idiocy.

"You can't give Myne such a harsh punishment!" The spear hero pleaded. "She was still assaulted!"

Naofumi looked like she was thinking for a moment. "Yes, you're right. She was assaulted. I'll give her a much lighter punishment than. Motoyasu, I have a question for you?"

Motoyasu jumped a bit, "Yes?"

Naofumi gave him a smile, "Have you ever seen the back of an eyeball?"

"N-no, I haven't." Motoyasu managed to say. The fox's gaze was heavy, it felt like it could crush him despite her smiling lips.

Naofumi clapped her hand together happily, "Well then good news for you! Myne will volunteer her one eye and everyone in this courtroom can see one fully!" Naofumi pointed on clawed finger to her own forest green eye.

"Y-you can't do that!" Myne sneered, dropping her act. She glared at the seated fox. "You're nothing but a filthy demihuman! Where do you get off feeling you have so much power! I'm the princess of this country and future queen!"

"My, are you finally showing you're true colors. Look how ugly you are." Naofumi chuckled. "If this is how the monarchy is going, this country will fall soon."

Naofumi thought for a moment, blocking out Myne's excessive blabbering. Right, the heroes deserved something too. Naofumi smiled and directed her gaze at the three young men. They had the audacity to act like they owned the place. "My brave heroes, don't think your not getting punished. I think I'll rip each of your finger nails off. It's a fairly tedious process, but they say pain is the best motivator."

"Wait! How do you expect us to save this world if you punish us, Iwatani-san?" Itsuki spoke up. "If you did that, it will hinder us greatly."

"If you truly are the heroes you act to be, you would work through the pain. Think of it as a testament to your loyalty to this country." Naofumi told him. "Come Myne, I promise to do it quickly."

Myne was glued to her spot as she kept yelling at the shield hero. The king was no better, he was barking orders at scared guards, who knew better than to stop the fox now. The heroes also attempted to reconcile with Naofumi in a feeble attempt to make her pity them. All of this noise was giving her a headache. Naofumi let out a room shaking growl, which effectively silenced them all.

"Quiet," Naofumi voice rang out over the crowd of pleading humans. "My goddess Inari once told me that the world is filled with ugly men and to fill it with ones that have unparalleled beauty. A man that is hideous may have the heart of pure gems. A man that is made of beauty on the outside may be made of rot and decay. If a man doesn't live up to the beauty he has been blessed with, it is our duty to take that away and that's what I'm planning to do. I shall make you so unslightly, a mirror will break at the sight."

"W-wait!" A voice rang out, grabbing Naofumi's attention. "Lady Shield Hero, you can't do this!"

The fox turned to see a boy as he trembled where he stood. He was wearing amour but lacked any confidence to actually appear threatening. His had a tuff of brown hair peaking out if his chainmail. Naofumi perked her eyebrows. He had a brown satchel strapped to his torso. What a meek little rabbit. Naofumi was almost amused that he had the guts to interrupt her. There was a familiar scent on him. A scent Naofumi knew all to well. It couldn't be-

"I know y-you're upset, but it's not right to punish all these people-" He tried to sound assertive, but was failing miserably. The guards behind him did nothing to stop the boy from confronting the fox. Naofumi listened as the young soldier stuttered through his sentence.

"Boy," Naofumi called out to him. The soldier stopped his ramble and looked at the predator. Naofumi pointed to the empty spot in front of her, "Come here."

The boy jumped. His knees were knees were weak and had legs made of jelly. He had to summon all the confidence in the world to even take a step forward. The fox let her tails swish behind her. When the boy had gotten at least five feet away from the fox, she curled her finger, urging him to come even closer. The boy approached the predator and kneeled down in front of her, only for his face to be grabbed a brought mere inches from the kitsune who was sniffing him. The young soldier blushed, but stayed deathly still.

"I knew it," Naofumi said, confusing the trembling soldier. She backed away and had a certain glow in her eyes. "You smell exactly like fried tofu!"

The soldier was truly dumbstruck now. "Eh?"

Naofumi backed away, but kept a firm grip on his cheeks. "You smell like a food called fried tofu from my world. Do you have any with you? If you give me some, I'll grant you a blessing."

The soldier couldn't help but blush at the sound of the fox's voice. It was like a sweet melody, that ended as a faint whisper. Even though her eyes were green, there were specks of gold flickering within them. Long eyelashes framed her cat like pupils like drapery. He even felt a strand of her hair tickle his cheek. He was truly entranced by such a beauty.

Naofumi moved her thumb to the soldier's bottom lip and drew a line across. "Won't you share with me? Please? It smells like it's coming from that bag of yours."

The soldier snapped out of his trance, "O-of course!" He began to dig through his leather satchel. The soldier was called here in such a rush, he had no time to put down his bag. His grandmother had given him a snack from her country, so he could have breakfast on the go. Luckily, he had yet to eat it. He dug out a piece of food, that appeared to be fried. It had an oval like shape to it. Half of the it was covered with a cleaned, red rag. "Here you go!"

He held it out to the fox, who instead grabbed the soldier's wrist that held the treat. Naofumi brought it close to her mouth and took a bite. She was silent as she chewed and so was the whole throne room. Suddenly, her multiple tails began to swish rapidly like a dog wagging it's tail. The fox consumed the rest of the almost meal, before backing away and licking her lips.

"I was worried," Naofumi spoke. "I thought this world didn't have any fried tofu in it. Looks like I was wrong. Thank you for your offering."

The boy once again bowed his head, "You're w-welcome, Lady Shield Hero!"

Naofumi gained a cat like grin on her face, "What's your name?"

"My name is Ake Vanala!" Ake had said. His nervousness wasn't going to fade anytime soon.

"Ake," Naofumi said, as if she was tasting the word. "Hey Ake, since you've given me something, I'll give you a blessing back. What would you like?"

Ake raised his head. "W-what do you mean?"

Naofumi hummed, "When my kind are given gifts or offerings we grant blessings to the individual. Blessings grant the individual whatever they want, but there is a limit to how much I can give you. I should tell you my specialities are medicine, craftsmanship, and war. Ake, what would you like? There is no limit to what I can grant you." Naofumu lightly grazed her index finger along Ake's soft jaw line. She cupped the boy's cheek to further inspect him. Ake seemed like such a good boy. Too bad, Naofumi will have to use him just this once.

"I can ask for anything..." Ake seemed to mumble to himself. "Then I want you to not punish anyone. That's what I want!"

Naofumi stopped her 'affectionate' actions. The fox raised her eyebrows, looking at the soldier's determined gaze. "Hmm, I have the ability to grant you anything, but you wanto to save a room full of people who most likely don't even know you exist. Why?" Naofumi was not pleased by Ake's words at all. She was still inwardly furious at so called 'trial'. The fox was going to rip the boy's throat out. Couldn't humans be selfish when she wanted them to be.

"B-because no one deserves that..." Ake averted his eyes to the floor.

"Boy, look me in the eyes." The fox commanded. Ake listened to her orders. Naofumi spoke, "I'm still angry about what happened. Will you take the punishment instead? A punishment that will torture you for decades to save a room full of people you don't even know. Will you do it?" The fox cupped the boy's cheeks. It was hard for Ake not to notice her claws sinking into his skin.

Ake gulped, "Yes. I will take their punishment as my own."

The two were locked in a staring contest. Unexpectedly, the fox let out a laugh. She let go of Ake's face and bursted out into a fit of giggles, clutching her stomach. "My what an amusing answer! You truly are idiotic, Ake!"

The soldier's face began to become flushed, the heat from his body being drawn to his cheeks. The fox continued to laugh, as the rest of the people watched the fox's strange burst of laughter. The fox wiped tears away from her eyes.

"Fine," Naofumi waved her hand. "No one shall suffer any punishment today. You're lucky Ake, you avoid punishment as well."

The soldier brightened and lowered his head again, "Thank you, Shield Hero!"

Naofumi stood up from the throne and kneeled down to Ake's height. Naofumi brushed back the tuff of brown locks that peaked through Ake's chainmail. The kitsune delivered a kiss to the soldier's forehead. Ake began to flush, but he realized how much lighter his body felt and stronger too. There was a dim blue light that encompassed him before fading away.

Naofumi backed away, "There, I gave you a blessing. It's a small one, but it ensures that your body remains healthy."

Ake blinked. He was confused to say the least. "Why?"

"Why? Because it's rare to find a person so self sacrificing for people he didn't even know. You truly have a kind heart, so I rewarded you." Naofumi leaned into Ake's ear and whispered, "You should be careful. You're a rabbit in a den of wolves, who will devour you when they see fit."

Naofumi stood up to full height and looked down at the bowing soldier. "Just a piece of advice from me to you." The picked up the pouch of money and went over to the king. He was still standing by the heroes and his liar daughter. The king gritted his teeth as the fox approached him. She was smiling as if she didn't had want to kill them all just mere seconds a go.

When she was close enough, Naofumi stopped in front of the king. "I hope you take this as a lesson to conduct a proper and fair trial next time, boy. You can't simply rely on one person's word, but I have a feeling you really wanted me to be exiled. Funny, isn't it? How I have more power than you?

Naofumi could see the king clench his hands into to fists. He wanted so badly to bark his orders and have her restrained. How pitiful. He was really letting all this power go to his head. It was obvious to Naofumi that this country's government was corrupt, but she really couldn't care less. You see one corrupt government, you've seen them all at this point. This could work for her, if she played her cards right. Yes, that's right. It wouldn't be too bad to have people worship her and see fools fall into the mud. Yes, that sounds quite fun.

Naofumi sent a smile to Myne, "Myne, you should really think out your schemes more. It's better to play the waiting game than to rush into things. You were so sure of yourself too. I can't imagine the failure you must be feeling."

Myne glared at the hero, "Why you-!"

"Honestly," Naofumi began, "I can't wait to watch you to fall into ruin. Bye. Oh, and to my fellow heroes, be stop acting like you actually care. You're just making yourselves look like complete idiots."

Naofumi left the gaping crowd in the throne room. Now what to do with her money now.


	4. Prey

Naofumi played with the bag filled with coins as she left the castle's gates, lightly humming a tune. The fox made no effort to hide her ears, tails, or markings from the public. From what she heard around her, they all knew what she was and what she did. Rumors sure do go around quickly in this world.

What should she do next was the real question.

She held little to no interest with helping fight off the waves, but if she wanted to go back to her own world it was inevitably. Her siblings must be wondering where she was by now. They always were protective over her since she told them the truth. Well, Inari showed them actually. What Naofumi had done to receive a reward from the goddess. No wonder her fur was stained red, it was a reminder.

She often wondered if she had a better upbringing, would any of that had happened?

The fox felt a hand clap onto her shoulder, which made her snap out of her thoughts of the past. Naofumi peeked over her shoulder to see the blacksmith she had bought her chainmail from yesterday. He didn't look too pleased with her. Then again, who is?

The fox turned around, "Is something wrong?" She tilted her head. She noticed the blacksmith's gaze look at her ears for a split second before sighing.

"Follow me." He turned around and walked to his shop with Naofumi trailing after him.

"Forgive me," Naofumi said. "I never caught your name."

The man went behind the counter, "The name's Erhard, kiddo."

"Erhard, huh? Well, it's a pleasure to see you once more." The fox smiled.

The man sighed, "Kid, do you know what I heard about you? Actually, what everyone in the kingdom heard about you?"

Naofumi busied herself by looking at sets of armour. It had been maybe 200 years or so that she covered herself in metal plating. Naofumi spoke, "Are they perhaps talking about how I nearly forced my companion into sexual slavery, went to trial, then proceeded to injure and threaten a room full of people?"

Erhard had a surprised look on his face, "How did you know?

Naofumi pointed at her fox ears on the top of her head, "I have pretty sensitive hearing. I'm honestly shocked how fast word travels here." Naofumi picked up a silver helmet and inspected it. It was too heavy for her liking.

Erhard directed his attention to Naofumi's ears and swishing tails, "You didn't have those yesterday?"

"I was hiding them," Naofumi answered. "Speaking of yesterday, did more people come and visit your shop after I left with my former companion?"

"Yeah, a lot more people than usual. It was a bit surprising. I guess you had something to do with that?" Erhard questioned.

Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I gave you a small blessing to boost your business. I can tell you take a certain pride in your work. I can admire that."

Erhard rubbed his forehead, "Listen kid-"

"I'm not a kid. I'm centuries older than you are." Naofumi cut him off. "You can keep calling me 'kid', but please have my age in mind."

Erhard sighed, "Right. Listen, I appreciate your help with my business, but I don't want it. I rather due my work honestly, and not depend on your magic or whatever you call it."

Naofumi put the helmet she was looking at down, "Really? Usually, humans love when I do that kind of thing."

"Not this human," Erhard scolded her. "But that's not why I brought you here. Do you have any clue what you're going to do now? The king most likely wants your head on a stick for humiliating him like that. You should be careful."

Naofumu couldn't help but smile at the man, "Don't worry. I have my own plans for this country. The king can do what ever he pleases, but all he wants is power over me. I don't plan to give him the luxury."

"Wait, what plans?" Erhard questioned the fox.

Naofumi proceeded towards the exit, but looked back at the blacksmith, "Don't think about it too much. Goodbye for now."

Naofumi closed the shop door's before Erhard could get another word out. The fox started to walk down the paved street. The first thing she should do is explore the world and assest the situation she was in. If it was in poor conditions, the situation would be in her favor. When humans are desperate, they do deperate things. It was common knowledge. Naofumi will have to use that if she plans to get ahead in this world.

Right, she nearly forgotten why she was summoned here. The king wanted her and those three dunces to save this world and defeat these so called 'waves'. Naofumi honestly wasn't thar concerned with it. She had dealt with worse in the past. She could use the waves as a tactic for people to follow her. If people follow her, they also follow Inari. It was a kitsunes duty to bring honor to their goddess, and Naofumi was planning to do the exact same thing. She was one of Inari's twelve suns, even if she gained her position on a technicality.

Naofumi stopped in front of a rather large, red and white striped tent. She tilted her head. Had she taken a wrong turn? She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't pay attention to when she was going. It wouldn't be so bad to see what's inside. Right?

The fox opened the flap of fabric that shielded the inside of the tent from the outside world. She was immediately greeted with a sea of cages. How strange. The fox started to explore the man made labyrinth. There were creatures that squawked and growled at her from behind their bars. Naofumi stared at them with a bored expression. Are these animals pets of some kind?

"A demihuman? What's one doing out of their cage?" A voice said. Naofumi turned around and was faces with two rather burly man staring down at her. "Look at that. She's a beauty. She must be expensive."

Naofumi didn't respond. She only stared at the two men. One of them chuckled, "Good thing she's not a talker! It'll only lower her price!" He let out a boisterous laugh.

"Yeah!" The other agreed and placed a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "If only we could have some fun with h- AAAHHHH!"

He was cut off by his hand being crushed by Naofumi's. The man was screaming in horror as the other gawked in shock. The fox let go, only to retract her hand and slap him across the face. The slap sent the man flying a few feet, and he landed rather roughly into a creature's cage. The other man, who was still standing, started to slowly back away.

"What's with all this noise? Oh, a demihuman?" A rather round man in extravagantly ridiculous attire approached the fox. He stopped when he saw the shield strapped to her arm with a glowing green gem in the middle, "Wait, it's the shield hero! My, I never thought I would see a hero in my humble establishment." He looked over at his men. One was unconcious with blood gushing from his head and a misshapen hand. The other was trying to stop the bleeding. The man showed off all his teeth when he smiled at the fox.

"Has this whole country heard of me by now? Word travels fast, doesn't it?" Naofumi finally spoke.

The man kept grinning, "It does, but it's easy to recognize one of the four cardinal weapons from a mile away. What brings you to my business today?"

Naofumi went back to staring at the monsters trapped in cages, "What kind of business do you have? Is this like a pet store?"

The man let out a laugh, "You're so funny! No, this is a slavery business. This is a place where I see slaves and other kind of beasties. Though, I never would have imagined the shield hero would be a demihuman."

Naofumi rolled her eyes, "There we go with that word again. I can assure you I'm not a demihuman."

"If you're not a demihuman, what are you?" The man asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but I know I'm not that." Naofumi responded.

The man started to rub his hands together, "Why don't I give you a tour? You may see something you like."

Naofumi shrugged, "Why not? I have some time to kill."

"Well then," The man started. "Follow me."

Naofumi trailed after the short, round man as he showed her his 'merchandise'. Beasts were hunched over in csges too small for them. More humanlike creatures had injuries, showing years of abuse. All of them would snarl as the pair passed them. Some of them would grab the cage's bars and shake them furiously, a poor attempt at attention. The fox learned a long time a go that you couldn't help everyone. She had to be selective in who she picked to follow her. At least for the time being...

Naofumi was zoning the man out and he continued to talk about his inventory. There was nothing here that peaked her interest at all. Naofumi let out a yawn. The fox turned around and was about to leave the man who was still bragging. The fox heard a few violent coughs. It sounded like the person was trying to hack their lung out.

She followed the source and arrived at a rather large cage that was covered with a sheet. Naofumi rather quickly grapped it and whipped it back, allowing her to see who or what was inside.

There were four children. They didn't look like much at first glance. Their clothes were basically worn out sacks with holes for their limbs. Their visible body parts held numerous cuts, lashes, and even burns scattered in random places. The four children broke off into two pairs. One with a pair of similarly looking kids, both had hair with white and black streaks, not to mention the rounded ears on the top of their heads. Were they tigers? The boy held the similar looking girl close to his body, and he glared and Naofumi. The girl he was holding looked frail. At the other side of the cage, there were two little girls. One looked like a tanuki, Naofumi could recognize those ears anywhere. The girl most likely wasn't a tanuki that Naofumi was used to. The girl wouldn't be in this situation if she was. The other girl was blonde, and her hair was much shorter compared to the tanuki girl. Both of them clung to eachother, as if it would be their last time together.

The children looked pathetic. Unbearably pathetic like a couple of worms trying to wiggle around in the summer sun Naofumi hated the sight. She wondered why. The fox thought about it for a quick second. Yes, that's right. They remind her of when she was human. A small bug ready to be squashed. A sniveling, dirty child with no hope. Death would be merciful for them.

Naofumi pondered. She didn't feel like getting any blood on her clothes today, especially not some crying child's blood. The fox looked over the trembling forms in front of her. Their eyes held no hope for the future like a dim light. She wanted nothing more than to take those eyes out. She wanted no reminder of the useless, little girl she used to be. As long as it's quick-

"Pretty..."

Naofumi stared at the source of the raspy voice. The words came out so quietly, the fox wondered if she imagined them. The source of the words was a little girl with short blonde hair. Her ears were small and rounded. She looked battered and beaten, but she stared at Naofumi with curious eyes.

"Are you an angel?" The girl questioned.

How amusing. Naofumi spoke, "Do you think I'm an angel?"

The child stayed silent. Maybe she thought she had passed on, and the Naofumi's figure was greeting her to the afterlife. What a sick joke...

"Unfortunately, you're not dead yet." Naofumi smiled down at the girl. "Do you want to die?"

This caused the tanuki girl to flinch and clutch the blonde child closer to her. It was a sad attempt to quiet her friend, but Naofumi paid no mind to that, "What if I kill you? You'll see an angel then."

The blonde girl's eyes widened and tears began to leak out from her eyes, "N-n-no... I don't want to die...". She started to become a sniffling mess. She let her face get buried into the auburn hair of the trembling tanuki. Where had Naofumi heard such cries before.

"Nee-chan..."A voice called out in the back of Naofumi's head. The voice was holding back sobs, but that didn't the tears from falling from the child's eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Because of me, Nee-chan is-"

That's right. It was her siblings. It was back when they were human before they had died. Who gave them permission to die so suddenly during that life? Nevermind that. What did Naofumi do again to comfort those two children? What did she say end the crying?

"It's fine. As long as you're fine, I don't mind if they beat me like this."

Naofumi remembered hugging the shivering children close to her like it was the last time they would ever be together. "I'm your older sister. I'll protect you no matter, so don't worry about me."

She was such a fool back then. She let herself by led by emotions. Naofumi had no reason to protect those children, so why did she-

It's because she loved them.

No, she shouldn't have cared for them. She could have led a life without so much trouble.

She didn't regret it.

It was all their fault for being so weak.

That's why she protected her siblings.

They were too pathetic.

Their smile was Naofumi's only joy.

She should have just left them to die.

Naofumi would sacrifice anything to see them happy again.

That's why, she had to become a monster.

These children reminded Naofumi too much of her past self. The weakness she possessed. She wanted to burn it down to ashes. Naofumi wanted no reminded of it. That's right, every single reminder of her past self should die.

"I see you found our more questionable merchandise," the slave trader approached Naofumi by behind. "Sadly, I don't think they'll last very long. The tanuki and weasel had a previous master who was less than forgiving. They're going to succumb to their infections within two weeks. The hakuko girl is extremely sick from the moment I got her. The only good part in her brother is extremely protective over her, but he started having this awful cough. I think any of them will last until the next month."

Naofumi didn't turn back to face him, "I'll give you 2500 silvers for all four of them."

The slave trader's grin grew even wider, "I should warn you, that is much more than what they're worth. I'm not one to complain though, but it hardly seems like a fair deal."

Naofumi turned back to him, "Don't worry. They'll be worth every coin." The fox turned back to the cage to fsce the shaking children and gave them a smirk, "From now on, you four will be my maidens."

The slave trader ordered some of his own men to get the children and bring them to his 'office' to finish the transaction. The children fought and struggled when the men reached out and grabbed them. The tiger boy even biting the hand of one. Maybe Naofumi was wrong? Maybe their eyes weren't so dim after all.

"We'll have to put slave crests on them." The slave trader spoke as they walked.

"Slave crests? What are those?" The fox asked.

"It's a mark that allows you to have total control over your new slaves. They won't be able to disobey you." The man said.

Naofumi narrowed her eyes, "Is that really necessary?"

The man nodded, "If you want to leave with them it is."

When the arrived at the 'office', children being dragged behind them, the slave trader asked Naofumi to put so of her own blood into a small dish. Naofumi sliced the palm of her hand with a knife, letting blood spill into a circular disk below her palm. The wound instantly healed afterwards, but it didn't stop the fox from licking the would be cut. Naofumi looked over at the group of children curled in the corner. The boy baring his fangs at the slave trader. Hm, had has a lot of energy despite looking so worn down. The girls were trembling in fear. They seemed to lack confidence and their own will. If Naofumi would ever make use of them, she'll have to fix that. A maiden was no good if they didn't have a strong will to match their master.

How was her master doing anyway? It had been maybe a year since Naofumi had visited Inari. She didn't make a habit of stopping by Inari's palace. Naofumi supposed if she ever left this world, she would have to apologize to her goddess for skipping her duties for so long. Surely, Inari knew she was in another world? Who was Naofumi kidding? That wouldn't stop the goddess from increasing Naofumi's work load for the next 50 years.

Naofumi's thoughts were cut off by a hiss of pain and the slight smell of burning flesh. The weasel girl clutched at her chest, as she bit back a scream. The tanuki girl held her friend close for comfort.

"Are you sure that is really needed?" The fox said, crossing her arms under her chest.

The slave trader didn't stop his actions and proceeded to repeat the action with the other girl. "But of course, Lady Shield Hero. You want them to be obediant don't you?"

Naofumi tapped her chin, "It's no fun if they obey my every command out of fear, boy."

The slave trader let out a boisterous laugh, "Boy? I'm in my mid-60s, young lady."

Naofumi let out a yawn, "Exactly, you are a boy to me. There's at least a 450 year gap between us. Hurry up. I don't have all day."

The grinning man chuckled and moved to the next child, "Yes, of course."

It was a bit of a struggle to finish the slave crest on the two tiger children. The boy kept struggling and shouting, making the process even more difficult. Once everything was done, Naofumi handed over the money for her new slaves. The slave trader was eagerly counting the money he just received. Naofumi took this chance to approach the children who were still in pain by the looks of it. Naofumi crouches by the similar looking tigers children. The boy tried to hide the much smaller girl behind him, using his body as a shield. Naofumi inspected her body. She looked much weaker than the rest of them.

"Boy, what's wrong with her?" Naofumi asked.

The boy hugged the boy closer to his body, "None of your business! Stop looking at Atla!"

Naofumi hummed, "How am I going to heal her if I don't know what's wrong with her?"

The boy tensed and glared at Naofumi, but her reluctantly spoke, "She's blind, and she can't walk."

"She can't walk? Sounds easy enough to fix." Naofumi reached out to 'Atla'. Immediately, the boy became defensive. Naofumi admired his protectiveness, he'll make a good guard. Though, if this 'Atla' was ever going to be useful to Naofumi, the fox would have to heal her legs. Naofumi directed her attention to the growling boy,"I didn't catch your name. Why don't you tell me?"

The boy stayed silent and looked away. Naofumi inched closer until her face was mere inches from him. Before the child could retract, Naofumi put her hand on the back of his head to keep him still. "Judging by your looks, Atla and you are related? She's so weak, I don't know how long she'll last. I understand you care about her, but if you impede on me treating her, she'll only die faster. Understand? Now hand her over."

The boy was stiff, but his grip on Atla loosened enough for Naofumi to take the girl into her own arms. Naofumi looked down at the girl. Atla was letting out harsh, short pants with sharp intakes of arm. The girl felt to warm, too warm for a child. She would probably die in a few days if she was left untreated. Naofumi moved the girl's bangs out of the way and pressed her lips to her forehead. A faint green glow illuminated from the kiss as transparent vines sprouted and seemed to wrap themselves around the girl's figure. When Naofumi backed her head away, the vines disappeared into the air. Atla's breathing was starting to get better, it didn't seem like she was struggling to breath anymore. "There, she should be able to walk in the next week or so. We'll need to work on the muscles in her legs though." Naofumi looked down at the girl. The fox moved to place the Atla onto her feet. The frail child fumbled for a bit, but could stand when she grabbed onto Naofumi for balance.

Atla started to speak, "I feel so much lighter..."

"Oh, so you can speak," Naofumi spoke. "I was able to heal your legs, but you'll need to take it easy. You won't be able to walk just yet. We'll have to get you medicine to treat your other ailments."

The boy blinked in shock, "What did you do?"

Naofumi looked over to him, "I healed her legs. Were you not paying attention?"

"B-but how?" The boy was confused. "Atla could never even stand before! How did you do that?"

Naofumi stood up and picked Atla up into her arms. The fox smiled down at the boy, "What is your name, little boy?"

The boy blinked, "Fohl..."

"Fohl, what a cute name you have," Naofumi turned away from Fohl towards the other two girls in the corner who were staring with her in amazement. "And you two, what are your names?"

The tanuki girl looked up at the fox, "I'm Raphtalia..."

"My name is Rifana," the weasel girl said.

Naofumi hummed, "Rifana, Raphtalia, Fohl, and Atla, huh? My, what weak children you all are. Come, we have much to do."

Naofumi handed Atla to Fohl and handed the bag of coins to Rifana, before turning her heel and proceeded to leave. Fohl placed his sister on his back. The four children caught up to the fox, who didn't bother looking back at them. She only looked straight ahead. The slave trader called out to the group, hoping for future business. Naofumi didn't bother to respond to him.

Once they were outside, the children trailed behind Naofumi. It was hard not to notice how people moved out of their way for the fox to walk. The children had never seen humans act this way to a demihuman. The fox held herself with confidence, yet she was graceful at the same time. Her hair would flow with the gentle breeze. Her emerald green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Even the way she smiled at the children before was stunning. It was like she was the personification of beauty. There was one thing Rifana couldn't get over though. The fox's voice sounded so distant like she wasn't even fully there. The fox spoke softly, but her voice held anger and contempt. Her smiling face betrayed the sweet sounding words coming from her mouth. It frightened Rifana.

"We're here," the fox stopped in front of a shop. The fox opened the door, "Well, go inside. We don't have all day, silly."

The children entered the shop and were greeted with multiple weapons and sets of armour. There was a bald man behind the counter who had a confused look on his face. He was obviously wondering why these children were here in a weapons shop.

"Hello again, Erhard. Do you mind providing my companions with some clothes? As you can tell their current outfits are a bit...tattered currently." Naofumi entered the shop after the demihuman children. She waved at the blacksmith. Erhard looked back and forth between the fox and the children a couple of time.

"What do you think you're doing, kid?" He finally let out. He put his head in his hands. He peaked through his fingers to look at the scheming fox.

"Well," Naofumi began and clapped her hands onto Raphtalia's shoulders. "You said I needed people to join me, so I got some. Aren't they just adorable?"

Erhard looked visibly tired, "Kid, I can see their slave crests. Did you seriously get slaves?"

Naofumi hummed, "The slave trader told me it was the only way for them to come with me. I felt horrible seeing these poor children in cages. I just had to help."

Erhard sighed, "Some how I doubt that. You want to get them armour, huh? Why not get them regular clothes?"

Naofumi let go of Raphtalia and approached the blacksmith, "I need something now. Besides, I would havr to custom order clothing that looks like mine. I believe that would take too long. I also want to equip them with a weapon."

"A weapon?" Erhard said, "You're not going to make them fight, are you?"

The children jumped back a bit, staring at the fox. Was she going to force them to battle for her? Is this what she bought them for? Fohl bit his lip. He shouldn't get his hopes up. She's the same as any other master-

"No, they don't have to." The fox spoke.

Fohl's eyes widened and looked up at her, "What?"

Naofumi looked down at him, "If you want to fight go ahead. It's your choice." The fox shrugged and approached Erhard's counter. "I'm thinking of giving them daggers. It's light enough that they can easily carry without much hassle."

"Wait a minute, kid. Why do they need weapons if they don't need to fight?" Erhard said.

Naofumi put her hand under her chin, "It's good to have a weapon. You never know what's going to happen. Now, they'll need an outfit that'll be functional for travel. I'm willing to pay about 1000 silver coins, maybe? Also, we'll need a bag to carry our things too. Do you have anything like that?"

Erhard sigh, "Yeah, I have what ever you need."

After a hour of Naofumi looking at armour, she finally deemed some equipment suitable for her younger companions. The fox apparently knew a lot about armour and weaponry. Raphatlia and Rifana were in similar sets of clothing. A dark grey sweater under a red and grey top with chunky brown boots. The only difference was thst Rifana was wearing black leggings underneath. Fohl was dressed in a shoulderless blue shirt underneath a sleevless black top. He had rather puffy white pants on and a blue scarf around his waist with short black boots. Atla was simply wearing a white and blue dress with the same boots as her brother.

"Erhard, don't they look perfect!" The fox smiled at the man. "Come here. Erhard has a lot of daggers for you all to use."

The children walked over and looked at the weapons before picking one up. Fohl was stopped by Naofumi who gave him a pair of leather gloves instead. "Your hands look much better with these gauntlets compared to a knife."

Once the children had everything and Erhard was paid, the group left. The next stop was a medicine shop. Naofumi wanted a couple of books about the medicinal herbs in this world as well as medicine to treat the various ailments each child had. The fox also managed to get some tools from the shopkeeper.

After getting the medicine and tools, the last stop was a inn. It was a similar inn to the one Naofumi was in her first day exploring the streets of Melromarc with that liar. Maybe Naofumi should have taken her eye as a lesson. There was no point to think if it now. If the girl kept annoying her, Naofumi will just have to do something much worse. But just watching seems to be enouvh fun for her. To know a human fell from the their status because of their own ego is very interesting to watch. Naofumi's thoughts were cut off by Raphtalia's stomach loudly growling. The tanuki girl's face become flushed with embarrassment at the sound. That's right, mortals needed food regularly to survive. These children looked thin, too thin to be considered healthy. Naofumi made her way inside the inn's resturant. The fox noticed the children she had with her were stopped at the door.

"What are you four doing? It's getting late," Naofumi called out to them.

Rifana jumped a bit, "This sign says demihumans aren't allowed..." Naofumi saw the girl dig her fists into the fabric of her sweater.

"I don't care what a sign says," Naofumi sighed. "Now hurry inside. Mortals get sick if they are left out in the cold of night, no?"

"But-" Rifana started.

"No 'buts', come sit down." Naofumi sat at an empty table, not to far from the entrance.

The children were hesitant, but went over and sat by the fox anyway. The children couldn't help but pick up what the other patrons of the inn's restaurant were saying. Most of them were whispering in nearly hushed tones about the shield hero. The rumors spoke about her threatening the king of the country, a notion that usually ended with death. Rifana looked at the fox who was sitting acroos from her. Rifana noticed that Naofumi's eyes had a far away look to them like she wasn't completely there in the present.

"What's wrong?" Naofumi spoke up. Her gaze direct at Rifana.

Rifana tensed, "N-nothing..."

The fox stared at the girl for a second before calling over a scared waiter and ordering, "I'll have the best tea you have here. Do you have a meal for children? Something a child would enjoy?"

"Y-yes, we do," the waiter didn't dare look into the fox's sharp eyes.

"Hmm, we'll take four of those as well. Also if you can bring a plate of fruits and vegetables on a small platter for the whole table, that would be great." Naofumi said.

The waiter nodded his head and left. The children all stared at Naofumi. Raphtalia was the one to speak up, "Why?"

Naofumi looked over to the small tanuki child, "Why what?"

Raphtalia lowered her head, "Why order food for us?"

Naofumi blinked, "Your stomach was growling madly before, so I got food for you. You're a growing child. You'll need all the food you can get."

The waiter soon placed the food down in front of each individual demihuman. The children had stars in their eyes looking down at the meal. It had been so long since they were given a proper meal. Usually, their food was just scraps found in the bottom of a bucket. The aroma coming out of the meal was utterly mouth watering. Raphtalia reached out to grab of fist full of rice that was mounted on the plate.

"Hold it," Naofumi said.

Raphtalia halted her actions and looked over at the fox. She knew it. She did something bad. Her master was going to punish her, wasn't she?

"You were given utensils for a reason," Naofumi lightly scolded. "I suggest you use them."

Raphtalia blinked at the fox's words. Was she not going to throw the food on the ground? Was she not going to shove Raphtalia's face in it and call her disgusting? Raphtalia picked up her fork in her tiny fist, and started eating.

As the children ate, they couldn't help but tense up when Naofumi directed her stare at one of them between sips of her tea. The fox let out a sigh and put her tea cup down, "Your manners are terrible. Tomorrow, we'll work on your posture."

"Posture?" Rifana said in between bites of food.

"Yes," Naofumi spoke. "You are going to learn proper etiquette from me. You all are going to represent me in the future. I rather you not do it with food on your face." Naofumi took out a napkin and wiped Rifana's face.

After the meal was done, the group headed to their room. It was a relatively big room with four single beds. There was a small table and chair by the large window attached to the wall. Naofumi placed down their belonging and took out the herbs she had bought. She also took out her mortar and pestle.

"I suggest you four get some sleep," Naofumi said. "I plan to start teaching you all early tomorrow morning." None of the children seemed to move. All of them were staring at the fox. Fohl had Atla in his arms, while Raphtalia and Rifana were holding each other's hands in a tight grip, looking down at the floor.

"I don't get it," Fohl started. He glared at the fox, "Why are you being so nice? What are you planning to do with us?"

"Didn't I say you four will become my maidens? It only seems fitting I treat you kindly." The fox didn't bother to look back. Instead, she opted to look in the book she had received. She will need to study hard to underdstand this world's language.

Fohl growled, "I'm a boy! Isn't a maiden suppose to be a girl?"

"Sex doesn't matter when someone becomes a maiden. It's simply a title for someone that serves a divine spirit or deity." Naofumi explained. She placed some herbs in the marble bowl and started to crush them.

"Deity?" Rifana questioned.

"Before you think I'm a god. I'm not. Kitsunes blur the lines between deity and spirit depending on our rank. I suppose I am close to becoming a god but unless I gain another tail, I'm nowhere near a godly status." Naofumi looked over the book. The symbols were lettering, maybe?

"It sounds like being a maiden is important," Rifana looked down. "Why pick us?"

"I wonder why I picked you four too," Naofumi hummed, and sat down on the wooden chair. "You all remind me of when I was human."

Rifana mumbled, "When you were human?"

Naofumi smiled, "Yes, you all are so tragically pathetic just like how I was. It made me want to kill you the moment I laid eyes on you. Out of pity, of course. You see, I loathe any reminder of my past self." Naofumi rested her head on her hand. "I've decided to rid you of that."

Fohl, who was hugging Atla close, asked, "What do you mean by that?" The tiger growled at the grinning fox. "You just said you wanted to kill us!"

Naofumi stood up from her chair, "I did say that, but I changed my mind. Listen carefully to this, okay? In this world, you can be a predator or you can be a prey. One often thinks that because they were born a prey, they stay that way until the moment they die. That's simply a misconception. The truth is, they choose to stay a prey waiting to be picked off. They never think once in their life can they become a predator. I was like that once. Just like you, I thought if I was obediant then everything would get better. The big, scary predators would pity me. That's sadly not how the world works. Predators will always play with their prey, until there is nothing left. Until that prey is broken. Do you wish to stay a prey forever?"

Raphtalia lowered her head and clutched the back of Rifana's shirt, "How? How can you say that?"

Naofumi approached the pair and kneeled down to their height, "It's the unfortunate truth. Surely, you have realized it by now. You are merely prey in this world, but I'm giving you a chance to become a predator. You can take it or you can leave it. It doesn't effect me at all if you choose to leave. If you stay, I'll make sure you go higher than anyone before you. All I ask is your loyalty, and in return I'll protect you."

"Loyalty?" Rifana asked.

Naofumi stood back up, "If I say jump, you four say how high. You shall serve me not as a slave, but as a my maidens. My most trusted and respected advisors that I will raise to be the greatest there ever was. That is the contract between us. You can take it or you can leave." Naofumi sat back down and crossed her legs, "The choice is all yours. I won't stop you."

The children in the room were silent. They were all thinking about what Naofumi had said. She was offering to raise them, so they could be greater than anyone else. The fox promised them her respect as well, something all of them thought they would never gain again. Scenes from their lives flashed through their heads. All of them were bittersweet and fleeting. Those brief moments of happiness were gone and replaced with memories of pain and grief. The shield hero was promising them a better life. She was going to make them into apex predators.

"Well?" The fox grinned, "What do you say? Will you stay as a herd ready for the slaughter? Or will you change your weak self?"

Surprisingly, Atla was the first to do anything. On her shakey legs she stood up and fumbled her way in front of the fox. It took all her energy, but she did it. "You promise never to break that oath you made. If we stay by your side, you'll stay be ours."

Naofumi reached out and patted the girl between her ears, "Of course, you have my word. I'll never betray you."

Raphtalia joined the frail girl, "I-I'll join you too."

Rifana closed in as well, "Me too. As long as Raphtalia is with me."

Naofumi smiled and looked over at Fohl who was standing quite a bit away, "And you, my sweet little Fohl?"

Fohl clenched his fists, "If Atla follows you, then I will too."

Naofumi smirked. This was going better than she expected. Sorry children, you can't fully trust Naofumi just yet.

"From now on the only one who can kill you four is me, understand?"


	5. Deal

Rifana had known her new master for three and a half weeks, but she couldn't understand the fox at all.

Rifana had learned that her current master was the shield hero, the person she had previously wanted fall in love with and marry. The demihuman didn't expect that the shield hero, the savior of demihumans, would outright ask if the child wanted to die when the first met. After branding her as a slave along with Raphtalia and a pair of siblings, the fox acted as if that never happened. She didn't act like Rifana's previous masters at all.

When the kids first wake up in the morning, the shield hero is in a seat reading a book or making medicine. Her bed was always untouched like she never slept. The children get dressed, then there's training. No, not anything with fighting or killing monsters. Naofumi places books on top of each child's head and, for a hour, they have to walk around the room without letting the books fall to the floor. Even when one of them had let the books drop, Rifana's master didn't get mad. She didn't hit them or yell. She only helped them stand back up and put the books back on their head. After that, they would all go down for breakfast. Naofumi would help all four of the demihumans with their table manners, giving each one of them advice. Rifana noticed that her master never ate. She only drank a cup of tea. When Atla had offered some food, Naofumi refused it. Even though the shield hero never ate, she didn't look unhealthy at all.

After breakfast, the shield hero would take the children out to the fields outside the castle walls to scavenge for materials like herbs. At first, Rifana was terrified. Monsters would try and attack them, but her master boredly slayed them with one hand. Now a feral balloon was nothing Rifana was truly worried about. Once all the herbs were gathered and materials were absorbed into Naofumi's shield, it was time to head back into the city. It was late noon by then, and they would go back to the same inn to eat dinner. The group would request a room for the night and a bath. Once it was night time, Rifana's master would go to work crafting medicine or some sort of jewelry. Yes, jewelry of all things. Apparently, a local jeweler had gifted the fox tools and items to make bracelets, necklaces, and other things. Why did the jeweler do this? Rifana still didn't know and didn't want to ask. She would sometimes quietly watch the fox work on a piece with such precision, it was like her master was a pro. Before bed, the shield hero would check each of the children's health. Well, she mostly looked over Atla. Rifana's master would help the small girl do exercises to build muscles in her legs. Then before Rifana knew it, she had fell asleep.

This was how the days went. Her master kept the small group on a schedule she decided, and the children obediently followed along. The demihuman children never made much of a fuss in hopes that they wouldn't be punished like how their old masters used to. In fact, her new master had even gifted the children toys to play with for doing a good job.

Raphtalia and Atla seemed enamored with the shield hero, Atla especially. Rifana didn't know if it was because the girl was grateful or just completely obsessed with the fox in general. Raphtalia kept her distance, but Rifana could tell by her eyes that she saw the fox in a much different light in comparison to Rifana. Fohl seemed like the most cautious. Always being weary of the fox's every move. The shield hero was kind to them, so none of them could complain.

That didn't stop Rifana's mind from wandering about the possibility of running away. At any point it would be so easy to just run. The fox had assigned Rifana to hold the bag filled with silver coins. If Rifana just grabbed Raphtalia's hand and ran until their feet couldn't take it anymore. The weasel had her doubts that the fox would follow. They both could be free, but there was a part of Rifana that knew. She knew Raphtalia and her wouldn't be able to survive without the shield hero by their side. It didn't stop her from thinking about it.

When her mind would drift off late at night, when she would be tucked into bed, she would turn her head to the side. There sitting at the table was the shield hero fast at work, crushing herbs in a bowl. The fox would be silently humming to herself, never paying any mind to Rifana's staring.

The fox was an enigma to Rifana.

An eye catching enigma that was hypnotizing to stare at.

It wasn't until one late afternoon when they were heading back from fields close by when Fohl had enough. He grabbed Naofumi by her sleeve and glared at her. Naofumi's ears perked up. Never had Fohl made an effort to directly touch her, much less stare directly into her eyes.

"Yes?" Naofumi tilted her head, her tails swishing in back of her.

"What's your deal?" Fohl asked the older fox.

Naofumi hummed, "Whatever do you mean, my darling Fohl?"

Fohl huffed, "You know what I mean! You buy us as slaves, but you don't treat us like slaves at all!"

"Do you wanted to be treated as a slave?" Naofumi questioned the child.

"No-" Fohl was cut off by Naofumi cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Then why are you complaining so, my sweet Fohl," Naofumi cupped his cheek. "If I didn't know any better, it would sound like you missed being a slave. I thought I treated you all rather nicely too, but if that's what you want..."

Fohl swatted her hand away, "No! I'm just saying that my previous masters never took this much care of Atla and me! I'm sure Rifana and Raphtalia also had masters that mistreated and forced them to obey, but you-"

Naofumi cut him off again, "Being forced to obey is something I never liked to do. It always drained any sense of pleasure I had in my life."

Rifana's ears perked up at the statement. Was her master in a situation similar to her's?

"I bought you all out of a whim," Naofumi said. "It was impulsive, but the timing was ideal. I was getting constantly pestered to get some maidens to serve under me. The pestering only got worse in the recent thirty years, so this is convenient to me."

"I keep telling you I'm a boy! Why would I be a maiden?" Fohl sneered at the older woman.

Naofumi's lips turned upwards in her signature grin. She poked Fohl in the chest, "And I told you that a maiden's gender it's irrelevant. It's simply a title to show that you serve me and me alone."

Fohl narrowed his eyes, "So it's no different from being a slave?"

"Hm?," Naofumi hummed. "Actually, I believe it's better. While you only serve me, you are above every single mortal since you serve a god-like creature. I won't make you do anything out of your realm of possibility."

"You won't make me fight," Fohl asked.

"Unless you want to," Naofumi shrugged. "Right now, I want to focus on crafting medicine. It's good to have extra hands help me collect herbs, but if you want to fight I don't mind."

"I don't understand you." Fohl crossed his arms. "What exactly are you?"

Naofumi patted his head in between his ears, "How sweet! It seems like you truly are curious about me. Hey, it's time for lunch. Shall we go back to the inn since we've already collected enough for today?" The fox started walking ahead with her basket of herbs, slightly swaying in the breeze.

"Hey! Don't try to change the subject!" Fohl called out to the fox. He let out a sigh as be picked up Atla, and jogged towards the shield hero.

Rifana and Raphtalia blinked.

"She's not as scary as I thought she was," Raphtalia muttered just barely audible enough for Rifana to hear. The raccoon looked down at the basket of various plants huddled together in the make-shift basket. "She's a lot nicer than our other owner..."

Rifana turned her attention to the retreating figure of the fox. "Yeah, she is. Raphtalia," Rifana began. The weasel bit her lip. "What if we ra-"

Rifana stopped when she saw the look on Raphtalia's face. The look of pure admiration that was painted on the raccoon's face. The look of wonder that Raphtalia had in her eyes, as if stars had imprinted themselves into her irises. Rifana closed her mouth before the rest of the sentence could escape her.

Rifana couldn't blame Raphtalia for staring at the fox like that. Her master was strange, but the shield hero was memorizing. The way her hair would flow in the gentle breeze, as if the wind was made for her. Her master turned her head a bit to face the children trailing behind her, strands of dark hair trying to block her face. She smiled and called for them to follow her. It was a sight to behold, but her smile was never honest.

The walk to the apothecary's was silent, except for Fohl's grumbles of annoyance. Rifana trailed slightly behind the rest of them with her head slightly down.

Maybe it was selfish of her to try to run away? Her current master took care of her and Raphtalia, and Raphtalia seemed like her too. She fed them, taught them, and gave them gifts. In return, the fox never asked for much. She never hit them or yelled. But why was she so unsettling?

Rifana, deep in thought, bumped her head into a body. The money bag she was carrying scattered on the ground. Rifana jumped back, and looked up at the taller figure. It wasn't her master. Instead, a blonde man talking to two other, as a woman clung to his arm. Had Rifana lost her master? Where did the fox go?

Rifana blinked, focusing her attention on who she collided with. The woman who was clinging to the arm sent her a nasty sneer. A sneer of disgust that Rifana was far too familiar with.

"Sorry-" Rifana nervously apologized at whoever she bumped into it. She knelt down to try and recover as much of the coins as possible.

"Don't worry about it young lady," the blonde man started to help her pick up the fallen money. "Somebody as adorable as you should watch where she's going." The man laughed.

The woman who stood behind him, grunted in displeasure. "Sir Motoyasu, you shouldn't lower yourself to help some street urchin."

The man, Motoyasu, laughed. "Come on! Don't be like that Myne. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help a young lady out?"

The woman narrowed her eyes at the child, "Why does a demihuman have so much money anyway?"

Rifana stilled.

It does seem strange about why a small child would be carrying so much money with her. Especially since she was a demihuman. If they believed she stole it, she would be reported. They would find out she was a slave, and if they couldn't find her master, a new one would buy her. Would she even survive a new master? Her last one nearly killed her.

"Oh my," Rifana snapped out of her thought at the sound of a familiar voice. Rifana slowly turned her head behind her to face shield hero. "Looks like the other heroes are here."

Her master was here, approaching the group with the gaggle of demihuman children following her. Raphtalia, seeing that her childhood friend was on the ground, immediately went to see if Rifana was alright.

Rifana felt her ears perk. The other heroes? Her master had never mentioned them to her. Looking at the man who was helping her, Rifana noticed that he stiffened at the sight of the fox. In fact, the people he was talking to instantly froze.

Naofumi blinked and directed her attention to Rifana and the scattered coins that surrounded her. Rifana, realizing she had yet to pick up all the silver, rushed to gather it all in her hands.

"Rifana," Naofumi called out the girl's name. The weasel demihuman froze. "Are you hurt?"

It was a simple question, but it felt like Rifana's heart had stopped. She had did her best not to draw her master's attention towards her. The more attention she received, the more she was at risk.

Rifana nodded, earning a hum of acknowledgement from the shield hero.

"It's been a short while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Naofumi asked. "Time is funny like that. You never really know how much times passes, huh?"

The heroes and their respective parties all stared at the smiling fox. No one dared to speak. It was like time was frozen.

Naofumi deciding to take the lead, proceeded to talk. "It seems my little Rifana has caused a bit of a mess. I hope she didn't trouble you or did you trouble her?"

"Nao-chan, what are you doing here?" Motoyasu finally spoke up nervously. It was clear he was avoiding eye contact with the fox, whose tails were swishing behind her.

Naofumi tilted her head, "Is it a crime to simply walk here? My, I had no clue. The laws of this world are still unknown to me. You'll have to forgive my ignorance, just like I forgave your's."

Rifana saw the red haired woman grit her teeth, and her face contorted into a nasty sneer. The girl gulped and looked up at her master. As always, Naofumi's face was in her usual unchanging smile, but her eyes held a bit of mischief in them. Rifana finished gather the silver with the help of Raphtalia, and they both made their way back to their master's side.

Naofumi looked down at Rifana. "It's very bad to wander off like that. A small child like yourself could have been kidnapped or worse. You should be more aware of your surrounds, Rifana."

Rifana put her head down and muttered a quick, "Sorry..."

"The fox sighed, reaching out her clawed hand to pat Rifana on the head. "Children are so troublesome, but as long as you learned your lesson."

Why was her hand so warm? It was so welcoming like an older sibling.

Naofumi retracted her hand. She turned towards the other heroes and their parties, who were trying to leave.

"It's getting quite late, " Naofumi called out to the heroes, not caring about the obvious tension that surrounded them. "Why don't we all settle at an inn and have dinner together?"

The heroes stopped where they were, and looked back at the grinning kitsune.

"Actually Naofumi-sama, we're sure your busy-" Itsuki began but was cut off.

"We got off on the wrong foot. It would be terrible if we stayed on bad terms." Naofumi smiled at the three heroes. "I simply would like to start making amends and extend a hand of friendship, is that so wrong?" She tilted her head innocently to the side.

That's how the four heroes found themselves seated at a square table, in the center of an inn's dining room. Their parties were seated at the surrounding tables, trying to not stare at the cardinal heroes.

Naofumi was peacefully sipping her tea, as the other heroes tried to eat. They all would take glances at the shield hero, who seemed to be ignoring it for the most part. At times, she would meet their stare, only for them to quickly look back down at their plate.

Naofumi tired of silence, decided to start the conversation. "What have you three been up to?" She asked, taking another sip.

The heroes remained silent until Ren decided to speak up. "I've been grinding levels."

"Grinding levels?" The fox blinked.

Ren sweatdropped, "I've been gaining levelS by defeating mobs."

Naofumi tilted her head, "Mobs? Oh! You mean those creatures outside the city's walls. Ren, you're adorable! You use such strange words! It's hilarious!" The fox reached over to pinch Ren's cheek, watching it flush between her fingers.

Itsuki coughed, drawing the fox's attention. "I've actually have been thinking of overthrowing a local lord."

Naofumi hummed, "Hm? A lord?"

"I was planning wait until after the wave, but he's treating his people unfairly. He's overtaxing them to the point of bankruptcy. I can't just turn a blind eye to his misdeeds." The fox noticed a smug look on the bow hero's face.

"And what do you plan to do after?" Naofumi let go of Ren's red cheek.

"After?"

Naofumi stirred her cooling tea. "After the lord is no longer in power, what is your plan after? You can't just leave the people to do as they please with no one in power. Another individual will come and take the position the lord had. If you don't have a plan for what happens after, then I suggest not doing it at all."

Itsuki stared dumbfounded. "But I can't just leave his subjects to suf-"

"If you have no plan, then you are not helping anyone. You're just making more problems to be unsolved in the future." Naofumi took a sip of her tea. "If you want to make any sort of change, then have a concrete plan to go off of."

Itsuki paused and narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased with the shield hero being right. "And what would you do?"

Naofumi set her cup down. "Find someone who you believe will do a good job leading the people. You're young so I advise not doing that though. You're far too naive, and too many people are at risk if you make a mistake. Focus on 'grinding levels' for the time being, understand?"

Itsuki bit his lip and stared down at his food.

Naofumi continued, "I've seen it too many times over the centuries, and the outcome is always the same. You humans never learn, but it's really troublesome."

Itsuki turned his head away from the shield hero, who took another sip from her cup.

Motoyasu blinked. What did Naofumi just say? Centuries?

"Naofumi-chan, how old are you?" Motoyasu asked the fox.

Naofumi thought for a moment, "Hm? About five hundred give or take a century or two."

Motoyasu choked on his drink. Between coughs, he managed to speak again. "What do you mean a century or two?"

He tried not to scream. The woman in front of him looked to be in her late teens or very early twenties! Did being immortal make you look A LOT younger than you actual are? Did she have some secret, miracle face mask that prevented her from aging.

"There was a point of my life that was filled with so much bloodshed it all blended together," Naofumi nonchalantly said. "There's no real difference with being 500 or being 700. It all depends on experience." She shrugged.

Motoyasu really wanted to laugh in disbelief. How was a century not a big deal?

"Wait Naofumi-sama, you said 'bloodshed'," Itsuki started. Naofumi noticed that he looked at her with distrust, more so than usual. "Did you kill people?"

Naofumi hummed, "Too many to count. It's honestly a pain keeping the numbers."

"You killed that many people?" Itsuki wanted to snarl, but he kept his composure for the most part. He figured she was a murderer, but at least take some regard for the lives she took.

"Humans, demons, creatures, other gods, there's no difference really. It's not like I wanted to do it, but as a servant of the gods I had no real choice." The fox took another sip.

It was true. She had killed a lot, more than she could possible remember. All those faces start to blend together after a certain point.

"So you killed other gods, but you also served them?" Itsuki questioned her.

Gods, she was getting sick of all these questions. Oh well, she'll amuse them for a bit longer. "I am a high ranking servant near godly status. Low to mid ranking gods are below me, but the high ranking gods, like Amaterasu, are the ones I serve. Though, Inari is my primary master. Besides, gods are reborn if they are well known enough or through other means of reincarnation."

Itsuki pressed further, "Then why kill them if they're just going to come back?"

"To stop rebellions," Naofumi answered simply. "Gods don't like to be told what to do or believe they deserve more, so there are times when those of lower status try to shift the order. When a god is 'killed' they are reborn as a young child with little to no memories of their past self, and they are deterred from making the same mistakes they did in the past."

Itsuki slammed his hand on the table, "But that doesn't make any sense? Why not change if there are rebellions? It's like there is no justice with the gods!"

"As much as it may pain you to hear this," Naofumi began. "Gods are imperfect just like humans are. You humans romanticize them so much, you forget that they also have their flaws. Gods, just like humans, are greedy, selfish, prideful, gluttonous, and so on. I understand your anger. After all, I was once human too, but I've long since accepted that as the truth."

The other three heroes paused. She was once a human? The fox that sat before them was once mortal just like the rest of them? But how did she turn into a creature of legend? There was no stories from where they came from of a human turning into a kitsune!

"Something wrong?" The fox said, breaking the other heroes out of their thoughts.

"Um, no..." Motoyasu took another bite of his meal, he very much wanted to change the subject to literally anything else. He swallowed, "Anyway, what's with the children with you?

Naofumi's ears perked up, "Aren't they adorable? They costed me quite a bit of coin, but they were worth every single bit. They help me out a lot when I collect medicinal plants."

"Oh, that's great-" Wait a minute did she say they 'costed her' "What do you mean by costed you?" Motoyasu asked.

"I bought them from a slaver." Naofumi stated. "You should have seen them before. They were just like small little bugs."

The fox's voice sounded so sweet for something so terrible.

"You bought children," Itsuki pratically hissed. "For what purpose? What exactly are you planning to do with them?"

"I'm afraid what I do is none of your business, understand?" Naofumi smiled at the bow hero. "But I assure you it's nothing bad. I have no reason to harm them."

The table went silent. Ren awkwardly tried to finish his food quickly, so he could finally escape the tension. Itsuki looked like he was about to flip the table. His face was flushed red with anger. Motoyasu seemed to be trying to defuse the situation however he could. The literally almost deity sitting next to him was still drinking from that damn cup. How much tea can fit in one small cup? God, Ren was dying just sitting here.

Naofumi finished her cup of tea, and placed it down. "Actually brave heroes, I would like to train you."

Ren put down his fork, "Train us?"

"Yes," Naofumi gently smiled. "So you can learn to use your weapons more effectively. I used many weapons, but I'm most confident with a sword. I'm sure you can learn from me."

Itsuki crossed his arms, "I don't know about the other two, but I'm doing fine with my bow."

"I'm sure you're busy..." Motoyasu nervously chuckled, letting his gaze trail to the side.

"How disappointing," Naofumi sighed. "I thought this was a chance for us to bond. Hm? How about I reward you if you beat me? Every being likes rewards."

Ren blinked, "A reward?"

Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I specialize in war, craftsmanship, and medicine, but there's nothing too out of reach that I can't do."

"Like how you did to that soldier? When you kissed his head?" Motoyasu pointed to his own forehead as an example.

"Well, what I gave him was immunity to any disease and poison for a year. It was a very small gift." Naofumi said. "I'm sure you three will want something more, no?"

What? Did the three of them hear Naofumi correctly? Giving the soldier an immunity to poison and disease was a small gift to her? She literally could prevent his death, and that was something small and insignificant to her? Just what could she grant them.

"What will you give us?" Ren finally spoke up.

Naofumi hummed, "Whatever I deem fitting for you. Of course, I'll always give you options on what to pick, but I can't give you anything I think will give you too much power."

"But you said if we beat you, you have way more experience than any of us. It seems farfetched to actually defeat you in battle." Ren pointed out.

"You're right," Naofumi thought for a moment. "I'll hold myself back to give you a fair chance on what I deem a victory for you, since you three can't defeat me."

The three heroes looked skeptically at each other. If they took this chance, Naofumi could grant them with powers beyond their weapon's capabilities. The fox seemed very untrustworthy though and threatening. Just a few weeks ago she wanted to remove the first princess's eyeball, but this was a great opportunity.

Naofumi sighed, "I understand your skeptical, but please understand. I'm only doing this to prepare you for the future. After all, you don't know what this 'wave' is capable of. I adore you mortals, which is why I'm so willing to help. This world is depending you three, so won't you try to get stronger to save it?" Naofumi looked at the three heroes with 'honest' eyes.

Ren turned his head away, "Fine, as long as you keep your word about giving us a reward. Tomorrow morning in the fields just outside the walls, we'll train there."

Naofumi smiled sweetly, "Of course! And you two?"

"I don't see why not. It's too good of an opportunity to miss anyway." He sighed, placing his hand in his hands.

"Actually," Motoyasu spoke up. "Myne wanted to go to the church tomorrow. Maybe I can train with you some other day?"

Naofumi's ears twitched, "Church? There's church in this world?"

Itsuki spoke up, "You haven't seen it. It's the second largest building here besides the castle. Have you never seen a church? It's place where people worship their god just like a shr-"

"I've seen a church before, but I just didn't think they would have one in this world." Naofumi blinked and looked off to the side in deep thought.

"Why's that?" Motoyasu questioned her after a few seconds.

Naofumi snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, "I just thought they would have a tower or something along those lines as a place of worship. I guess this world isn't too far off from our own." She giggled into her sleeve.

Dinner finished as planned, and the heroes and their parties booked rooms for the night. The demihuman children tight into bed, silently snoozing away. The fox sat at the edge of Atla's bed, running her hands through Atla silver and black locks. She let her gaze wander to the clear night skies.

A church in this world? How funny...

There are no gods in this world.


	6. Note

**Hey! Not an update, but sorry that it's been taking to long to update. ****It's pretty crazy right now, but I have a decent amount of time to update now so that's good. **

**So about my fanfic A Fox's Play! It'll still be updating since so many people love it! I honestly never thought it would receive this much attention... **

**Anyway, I'm happy to say I have a decent amount of plot down for it to continue it. I started the story having no idea what was going to happen, but now I do so that's good. **

**My story Instinctual Shield will probably be discontinued... **

**Sorry, I just don't like it that much and have no motivation to continue it.**

**The good news is that I'll be starting another ROTSH fanfic with fem Naofumi and her two siblings because you all seem to love Yuu so much. It's honestly just an excuse to write fem! Naofumi in 2b's nier automata outfit. Will the story be a nier automata au? Sort of. It's going to be combined with Nier Automata and Fire Force and whatever ideas pop into my head. **

**I hope you stick around because the next chapter of a Fox's Play is coming out soon and I want to start delving a bit deeper into Naofumi's past cause why not. **

**Bye~**


	7. Talks

Naofumi was tending to one of the many rose bushes in her garden. A pair of shears in her hands as she clipped away at any damaged canes. This is the last time she left her garden be alone for this long. The servants had no clue what they were doing when they tended to Naofumi's garden. They had let a good majority of her plants wither.

She gave them one job...

"Hey Naofumi, it's been awhile." Naofumi's ears perked at the sound of the masculine voice. She instantly recognized the voice. How could she dare try to forget it?

Naofumi still busy at work didn't dare to face the other kitsune, "Yasuo, what are you doing here?"

The man in questioned chuckled, "Can't I come to visit my favorite Sun?"

"I'm not a Sun yet," Naofumi muttered.

"Yes, yes, but the ceremony coming soon. You deserve this. Once you gain your ninth tail, you'll have the recognition you deserve."

Naofumi finally looked up at the man. She didn't know what she was expecting, she knew his face would never change. The same shoulder-length, messy black hair that partially cover one side of his face. This side of his face that he wore an eyepatch on. The same half-lidded eye that was colored red. The same never-growing stubble on is face that rested on his firm chin. The only thing notable different was his haori which was a sky blue that faded into white, but it was over his usual black kimono. His most notable features were the black fox ears on top of his head and nine swishing, white tails in back of him.

"You cut your hair," Naofumi commented, going back to work.

The man sighed, "Yeah, Katsumi insisted I change up my look a bit. You know how she gets when she's determined about a makeover..." Yasuo ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm surprised she didn't do it sooner. You kept the same hairstyle for as long as I've known you." Naofumi remarked.

"Eh? Really? You were just a little thing back then it's hard to believe. It's hard to keep track of time." Yasuo laughed into his haori's sleeve. "I honestly thought you wouldn't last, but you proved me wrong. You have such a bad habit of doing that."

"Do I?"

"Of course! You were such a sad child and look at you now. You're completely unrecognizable. I'm happy to watch you grow so much."

Naofumi clicked her tongue, "You sound like an old man."

"Naofumi, your words are so hurtful. You've grown so blunt. Haven't I taught you better?" Yasuo lightly scolded her. Yasuo turned towards the rose bushes. He let us hand cup one of the fully bloomed flowers. "You take such great care of this garden. No wonder Inari likes coming here so much. You always like taking care of others."

Naofumi didn't bother to respond to him.

"Anyone can tell how much care you put into each and every plant. It's shocking to them, but I'm not surprised. You were such a gentle child when we first met. You were scared out of your mind, but you had such a kind soul. It pains me to see what you've become." Yasuo turned his attention back to Naofumi, who had accidentally snipped a rose bud off it's stem.

They stayed that suffocating silence for a bit. Both of them unmoving, waiting for the other to speak first. Naofumi knew he was right though. When she first arrived here as a candidate to become one of Inari's Twelve Suns, nobody thought she would survive. She had no backbone. She was weak and was frightened by the slightest noise. She was easy prey to be picked off. If only they knew what she would do in the future.

"If you've come to change my mind, forget it. I've already decided." Naofumi finally stood up, her long hair coming almost undone from her messy bun. She stood a few inches shorter than the man in front of her, but she still stood her ground. Naofumi narrowed her eyes at the fox who helped raise her.

Yasuo put his hand on her, looking down at the eight tailed fox with pleading eyes. "Naofumi, I think of you as my own child. I only want the best for you", Yasuo moved his hand to her cheek. "This decision your making it's impulsive. You're letting your emotions dictate your life. You need to let them go."

Naofumi slapped his hand away. "I am no longer a child, so stop treating me like one. I know what I'm getting myself into." Naofumi turned her heel, and started to walk away. She was only stopped by a large hand grabbing her forearm, but she didn't dare look back.

"How many times, Naofumi?" Yasuo tightened his grip on her arm. "How many times have I witnessed you destroy your body for the sake of them? How many times have you wept for them? How many have you killed for them? How many times, Naofumi? Do you even now anymore?"

Naofumi's claws dug into her hand, blood dripped onto the grass. A sizzling sound was heard as the freshly fallen blood dissolved the greenery beneath it.

"You even killed Kaede. I know she used you but the way you killed her. You consumed her heart." Yasuo added, a slight look if disgust flashing through his eyes.

"Don't you dare mention her name to me." Naofumi snarled. "The mere thought that her blood courses through my veins disgust me!"

"But you made that choice to poison yourself. To consume that demon's blood even though you knew it was deadly! Naofumi, you tortured yourself for those children."

"So what?" Naofumi started, snatching her arm away from the taller man and turning to face him once more. "As if you could possible understand! I made a promise-"

"We all make promises!" Yasuo argued back. "The promise you made ended the moment you gave up your humanity! It's time to move on like all us Suns did!"

It seemed like time stilled when Yasuo made that comment. Naofumi knew it was true, but she can't let go. Not now. Not when she was so close.

"Naofumi, it's time to let go. Please." Yasuo pulled her close into a hug. "If you want me to I'll beg, but please-" Naofumi felt him clutch her closer to his body. "Don't bring those children that made you suffer so much back to life! I can't watch you harm yourself anymore!"

Naofumi placed her hands to his chest and pushed him back. "I'm not changing my mind," she snarled. She gripped his haori, digging her claws into it's fabric. "They're the whole reason I did any of this! Do you understand? Why would I give them up when I'm so close?"

"Naofumi..." Yasuo reached up to touch her cheek, only for his hand to be slapped away.

Naofumi looked up at him, her eyes yellow and glowing. "I don't care how many people I've killed, understand? I don't care about the lives I've taken or the enemies I've made! I don't care if I destroy this body over and over again! I'll do it all over again if I have to!"

"You don't mean that..." Yasuo said, his eyes looked like he was in pain, but there were no physical wounds on him.

"You have some nerve talking to me about 'giving up my humanity'," Naofumi spat out. "All the Suns did it, including you! Don't think I don't know what you did as soon as you became a Sun..."

Yasuo narrowed, "Naofumi, I'm warning you."

"You destroyed a whole civilization all because a few centuries before they brought ruin to your city, and you talk to me about moving on? You're unbelievable. It's honestly sad-" Naofumi was cut off by Yasuo grabbing her by the throat. It wasn't tight enough to do any damage, but it was a warning.

"Quiet. Just be quiet," Yasuo muttered and let go of her. He turned and started to walk away, leaving Naofumi to rub her fingers across her throat. Yasuo looked back at the woman he raised, "I didn't raise you to be like this."

Naofumi didn't bother looking at him, as she turned to leave and go back to her quarters.

Naofumi's eyes fluttered open. Her head was resting on one of her palms. She was seated in the same wooden chair by the shabby table, that sat in the corner of the inn's room.

A dream?

No, it was a memory of the past. How nostalgic...

She has been dreaming about the past too much recently. It's starting to become a bother. Maybe she'll stop sleeping for a while? It's not like she needed to sleep. She just liked doing it. It was calming and passed time.

Naofumi let out a sigh and stretched, hearing a few satisfying cracks and looked out the window. The night sky was starting to melt away as the sun was coming up.

It's been a long time since she spoke to Yasuo. They only spoke to each other when they had to, but since that day...

Naofumi's ears perked when the sound of ruffling could be heard. She turned her head towards the source. Raphtalia looked like she was battling with her covers, as she frantically twisted her body around.

Not this again...

Naofumi stood up from her seat and gracefully made her way over to where Raphtalia was sleeping. The child's body trembled and her face distorted. She let out small whimpers of discomfort, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Naofumi looked over the child. Another nightmare was plaguing the child's mind just like they had nearly every night. Naofumi sat on the side of the bed, looking down at the child. She raised her hand, and placed one clawed finger on the girl's temple.

There the small child was in what Naofumi assumed to be her home. She was on the lap of a man who looked surprised like her. He was holding a book. A woman sat on a wooden rocking chair across from them. She was happily smiling as she gazed lovingly as the pair.

Naofumi couldn't hear what they were saying, but there was no doubt in her mind. This was a loving family.

The scene was calming. The child looked to be intensely listening to the story being told. When she looked up at her father with bright eyes, all she saw was a two headed beast carving into her parents. Scattering blood on the girl's face as her bright eyes dulled and widened.

It was the same dream nearly every night. Naofumi was getting sick of it. If she was going to have this same nightmare every single night, then the least she could do was dream about it quietly.

It just took a little bit of work to calm Raphtalia down, and lull her back into sleep.

Naofumi stared down at the girl. She had a very happy family. It was obvious the parents loved their daughter a lot.

Raphtalia's parents loved her. They loved her so much they died for her.

They were self sacrificing idiots. Who in their right mind would do something so drastic to save a child?

That's right. If memory serves her correctly, she did the same thing. Gods, she was becoming such a hypocrite.

"Master..." A small voice pulled Naofumi from her thoughts. Naofumi looked down at the small tanuki she thought was sleeping, only to be greeted back by a pair of red eyes.

Naofumi blinked, "You're awake."

Naofumi guessed in the midst of her thoughts, she must have woken the child up by mistake. The child sinked back into her covers, pulling them up to cover her mouth.

"Am I not suppose to be?" Raphtalia questioned the fox.

"It's still late a night. You mortals need rest to function properly. I would suggest you go back to sleep." Naofumi said.

Naofumi noticed the child tense and dart her eyes sadly to the side. The child's fist, which were clutching the end of the blanket, trembled.

"You don't want to go back to sleep, do you?" Naofumi tilted her head to the side.

Raphtalia shook her head.

Naofumi spoke up again, "Are the nightmares bothering you that much?"

Raphtalia paused and looked away.

Naofumi faced away, "Those two you always dream about, are they your parents?"

Raphtalia gasped before Naofumi raised a finger to her lips to shush her.

"Quiet. The others are still sleeping." Naofumi put her finger down.

"How did you know?" Raphtalia questioned in a faint voice. "How did you know what I was dreaming about?"

Naofumi blinked, "I can view people dreams and alter them a bit. It's not much though since I never focused on it. Seriously, do you know how troublesome you are at night? You screamed and fought like any of that would do any good."

Raphtalia brought the blanket higher, almost covering her face. "Sorry..." She mumbled.

Naofumi crossed her legs, "It's fine. It's only natural. You saw something most children should never experience, and you seemed rather close to your parents. It would be concerning if you didn't grieve for them," Naofumi rested her elbow on her knee, letting her head rest in the palm of her hand as she leaned forward. "I have to say I'm a bit envious. Your parents seemed to love you very much. Do you feel guilty?"

"Huh?" Raphtalia shifted a bit under the covers.

Naofumi didn't bother to look back at the girl, "Do you feel guilty about your parents' death?"

Raphtalia froze.

Did she feel guilty? Her parents had sacrificed themselves, so she could live. But they left her alone. She was so alone without them. How could she live without them? Why didn't she die with them? Why didn't they let her die-

"You shouldn't feel guilty." Naofumi's words snapped Raphtalia out of her thoughts.

"Wha-" Raphtalia was cut off.

"There are plenty of things in this world to feel guilty about, but your parents sacrificing themselves for you is something you should feel happy about. They loved you so much, they risked their lives for you. From my standpoint, it seems like they died knowing that their daughter would be safe. I'm sure they don't regret their decision." Naofumi said nonchalantly, "You should consider yourself fortunate."

"Do you really think that?" Raphtalia asked.

Naofumi paused for a second before answering, "Yes, yes I do. My how lucky you are to have such considerate parents."

The two of them stayed in silenced for a bit. Naofumi had wrapped a piece of Raphtalia's hair around her finger and started to swirl it.

"Do you have parents?" Raphtalia asked innocently, breaking the silence.

Naofumi paused her actions, dropping the strands of auburn hair.

"I did have parents a long time a go." Naofumi answered. "They've been dead for centuries now."

"Oh," Raphtalia muttered. "I'm sorry..."

Naofumi looked away from the child, "Don't be. I'm not."

Raphtalia's ears fell, "But they were your parents. Don't you miss them?" Raphtalia clenched the edge of the blanket.

"No, not at all." Naofumi spoke up. "I don't miss them. Unfortunately, my parents weren't as loving as yours. I don't even remember much about them."

"Oh," Raphtalia whispered. "I see..."

"I did have siblings." Naofumi said.

Raphtalia's ears twitched. There was a very subtle change in the fox's voice. It became gentler. It sounded so sweet compared to how the fox usually talked. Words usually laced with empty joy coming from an alluring voice. Her voice now was warm.

"Siblings?" Raphtalia pressed a bit further.

"Yes, I have two siblings. I have a younger brother and sister. Even though they're only two years apart, they're polar opposites. My brother likes to learn so much. He likes to study the world around him like everything he looked at was something new to learn. My sister was adventurous. Even though she was skinny, she likes to climb up trees and would try to grab fish with her bare hands. Everyday with them was bliss to me."

"What are they're names?" Raphatalia asked.

Naofumi stopped, "I don't remember."

"Eh?"

"I don't remember their names."


End file.
